Two months on crutches, a ligament injury, and a week of illness heading into competition – Reese Esponda had every reason to keep expectations low at the 2026 U.S. Classic. Instead, the 17-year-old went out and won the first all-around title of her elite career, posting a 54.900 to top a field she didn’t even expect to contend in. And who did she surprise most of all? Herself!

In the final qualifier for August’s US Championships, Esponda soared beyond the required 52.500 mark to win her first all-around title. She later revealed that she had only just recovered from an injury.

“It was good. It was, I think, my best meet ever, so I’m really excited about it,” Esponda told Gymnastics Now (via X). “I was injured for two months, so I’ve just been going to the gym every day, working as hard as possible. I got injured right after Jesolo. I got injured in Jesolo.

“I’ve been injured for about two months, and now I’m just coming back and getting all my skills back. It was a foot injury. Some ligament in my foot. It wasn’t too bad, but I was in a boot and on crutches for a little bit. It feels good.”

By Jesolo, the 17-year-old was pointing towards the 2026 City of Jesolo trophy, which took place in March 2026. The American came sixth in the all-around, with France’s Elena Colas walking away with the gold. However, Esponda did win the gold in the floor exercise. Plus, her performance was good enough to help Team USA win the team gold. Since then, though, the focus has largely been on Esponda recovering from her injury after spending two months on crutches.

Thus, with her unable to train properly, she narrowed down to the basics, which helped her cause. After all, as Reese Esponda herself admitted: “my basics have been kind of my issue”. That helped support the core of her performance at the US Classic, even though she crossed 14.00 on only one event. That was 14.150 on vault, albeit a single vault, which helped prop up her score.

Despite that, the teenager still won gold in the floor exercise with 13.950 and bronze on the balance beam with 13.750 alongside her 13.050 on the balance beam. It was then that Esponda revealed that she had also been battling sickness during the meet, which affected her vault and balance beam.

“Well, yesterday in podium,” Esponda added. “I’ve been sick this whole week. The day before, I got super sick, and then I did a full in podium. I was like, ‘If I’m gonna do my full, it’s fine. If I do my double full, it’s also fine.’ So I warmed up my double full in the 15-minute warm-up, and then I just did one full, and I was good.”

And all that was with Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey pushing her to the limits. Carey, though, was fighting a comeback battle of her own. While Esponda was returning from injury, the Olympic champion was still finding her rhythm after stepping back into elite competition.

Jade Carey reflects on her comeback journey

After the 2024 Olympics, Jade Carey stepped away from elite gymnastics. The 26-year-old helped Team USA win team gold and then won bronze on the vault. It was her third Olympic medal (2 golds and 1 bronze), marking an impressive return. However, instead of focusing on elite gymnastics, the American focused on the collegiate level.

She had competed sparingly during the 2024 season and returned after the Olympics to help Oregon try to win an NCAA title. However, they finished fourth in the regional final and did not advance, although Carey’s scores meant that she did as an individual. In the end, she finished the 2025 NCAA Championships with a bronze on the balance beam and fourth in the all-around.

The 26-year-old then announced her elite comeback earlier this year, making her return at the American Classic. She finished second in the all-around and then replicated that feat at the US Classic, pushing Reese Esponda to the limit. The three-time Olympic medalist scored a 54.050 as she continued to ease back into elite competition.

“About two weeks ago I felt everything was starting to click and I was feeling a little more like myself,” Carey said, according to IntlGymnast.com. “That’s been nice to feel that way in the gym so that I feel better in the competitions.”

“I feel the upgrades went fine so I feel good about those,” she said. “Hopefully, adding a little more difficult on floor and vault at Championships, we’ll see. It’s been going pretty good in the gym so hopefully we can add those in and compete them well.” 

Reese Esponda arrived in Hartford hoping to prove she was healthy enough to compete again. She left with the biggest elite victory of her career and a place among the gymnasts to watch at the U.S. Championships.