China became the first nation to beat the U.S. women’s gymnastics team at a world championships in 16 years, prevailing in one of the closest competitions in this era.

China held off the U.S. by .233 of a point in Rotterdam, Netherlands, for its first global team title since it hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Japan earned bronze, its first Olympic or world women’s team medal in 60 years.

The U.S. won the previous seven world team titles since 2011, all by at least two points.

China’s margin of victory on Wednesday was the second-smallest since the perfect-10 scoring system was replaced in 2006 after Russia won by .201 over the U.S. in 2010 — the last time the Americans didn’t win.

Skye Blakely, Charleigh Bullock, Dulcy Caylor, Reese Esponda and Claire Pease combined for silver for the U.S., which was also second in qualifying behind China.

The final rotation provided drama. The U.S. went into floor exercise trailing by 2.2 points, but scored 2.166 points more than China on floor in qualifying.

The U.S. went into the 12th and last overall routine for each nation trailing by eight tenths of a point, but the U.S.’ last gymnast, Esponda, had the top floor score in qualifying, .833 more than China’s last gymnast, Qiu Qiyuan.

Esponda scored slightly lower than in qualifying, while Qiu scored slightly higher to clinch the title.

The U.S. roster included zero gymnasts with previous Olympic experience, the first time that’s happened in a worlds team event since 2011, when the streak began. Blakely was the only gymnast who previously competed in a world team event.

Hezly Rivera, the youngest U.S. athlete across all sports at the Paris Olympics at age 16, made the world team but withdrew the day before qualifying in Rotterdam after dealing with left ankle pain last week.

Another team event will be held at worlds in 2027 in Chengdu, China, and the U.S. roster could look very different.

Olympic gold medalists Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles announced they will return to competition at some point, possibly in 2027, in advance of a bid for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Another Olympic champion, Jade Carey, returned to elite gymnastics this season for the first time since Paris and was an alternate for this world team.

Simone Biles has not announced whether she will return to bid for a fourth Olympics.

Worlds continue Thursday with the men’s all-around final, live on Peacock and NBCSN at 1:30 p.m. ET.

The women’s all-around final, featuring Blakely and Pease, is Friday. At least one U.S. woman has made every Olympic and world all-around podium dating to 2003, a streak of 23 global championships.