July 1, 2024
Frederick Richard Leads USA Men’s Gymnastics To Paris Olympics
Frederick Richard became the first American man to medal at the World Championships in 2023.
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Men’s United States gymnastics team appears poised to win an Olympic medal. Led by Frederick Richard, the first American man to medal at the World Championships last year, the team is brimming with confidence after qualifying Saturday for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris.
As The Athletic reports, Richard, in particular, capped a brilliant performance at the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials in Minneapolis with a declaration post-performance. “What can you expect to see from me and the team in Paris?” Richard asked the crowd after securing his spot. “Medals. You can expect to see some medals in Paris.”
“I knew whatever team was chosen is a deadly team, and I stand to say that now that I actually see it — this medal, it’s like, we shouldn’t be aiming for just a medal. We should be aiming for gold,“ Richard said, according to People. “And we’re going to land on something. That’s how I feel.”
Unlike the selection process on the women’s side and in other Olympic sports like basketball, men’s gymnastics is more similar to track and field, where the numbers ultimately determine who gets the slots on the team. However, unlike track and field, the math governing men’s gymnastics is a little more complicated.
The top three scores from each day of competition in the U.S. Championships and Olympic trials are run, and then the top four scores from those competitions are run, which resulted in Richard, Brody Malone, Paul Juda, Asher Hong, and Stephen Nedoroscik getting the invitations to join the national team, with Khoi Young and Shane Wiskus named as traveling alternates.
“You’re not human if you don’t have those types of emotions for these incredible athletes,” men’s gymnastics program director Brett McClure told The Athletic. “Every athlete put it all on the line, have been training their entire lives for this. It’s absolutely gut-wrenching. It’s horrible for the ones who don’t quite make it, and it’s great for the ones that do The math locked it. That’s why the team is what it is.”
When the outlet pressed him on if it was the best team, McClure said, “This is a great team. Based on the results from two competitions, these are the guys that are the best. For this process, absolutely.”
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