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U.S. national team gymnast Ashlee Sullivan continued her successful year Wednesday with another individual victory. Sullivan won the women’s division of the 42nd Memorial Arthur Gander Tournament by more than three points, a huge margin.
A relative unknown heading into 2025, Sullivan won the Winter Cup in February and then earned an alternate spot for the team that competed at the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships last month. This week, Sullivan recorded her first individual international victory.
The unconventional Memorial Arthur Gander competition, held annually in Switzerland, allows female competitors to take part in three events of their choice. Sullivan chose to compete on vault, uneven bars and on floor.
Sullivan achieved a total score of 41.400 for her three eventsbeating newly minted world bronze medalist Abigail Martin (Great Britain) in second place and European all-around silver medalist Alba Petisco (Spain) in third place. The full results are accessible here.
Sullivan posts world-class scores
Sullivan earned the highest scores on two of her three events (bars and floor exercise) and had the second-best score on vault. On floor exercise, Sullivan scored a solid 13.700, edging out the world’s No. 2 and No. 3 gymnasts, Ruby Evans and Abigail Martin of Great Britain.
Evans and Martin took silver and bronze in the event at the world championships a few weeks ago. The British teammates showed a lower level of difficulty this week in Switzerland, ultimately falling prey to Sullivan’s complicated exercise.
Sullivan’s impressive scores point to her potential on the international stage, especially when combined with the recent world championships.
In Jakarta, the American women showed their weakest performance at a world championship in twenty years, winning only two medals: silver in the all-around (Leanne Wong) and bronze on vault (Joscelyn Roberson).
While the score varies by competition, if Sullivan’s floor score had held up in Jakarta, it would have been the highest floor score achieved by an American woman. In the Jakarta floor final, a score of 13.700 would have won the silver medal.
With a measured balance of artistry and raw power, Ashlee Sullivan has quickly become a fan favorite among followers of the U.S. Women’s National Team. This week, the future UCLA Bruin proved she can compete with (and beat) the best in the world.
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