For the first time in almost 20 years, it looks like the men’s US gymnastics team will medal when they leave an Olympic competition. Before the Olympic Games in Paris, the squad is full of optimism thanks to its leader, Frederick Richard, who made history in 2023 by being the first American man to medal at the World Championships.
Richard in particular, according to The Athletic, concluded an outstanding performance at the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials with a post-performance statement. “What can you expect to see from me and the team in Paris?” Richard asked the assembled audience. After gaining his position, Richard posed the following rhetorical query to the assembly: “Medals. In Paris, some medals should be visible.
According to People Magazine, Richard also stated to reporters that he thinks going for gold instead of merely bronze or silver will guarantee that the squad wins medals. “I knew that the squad that was selected was a lethal bunch, and now that I’ve seen the medal, I firmly believe that we shouldn’t be aiming for nothing more than a medal. “Gold should be our goal,” Richard remarked. “And something will be our landing spot. That’s my emotional state.
“I’m an Olympian.”⁰⁰Frederick Richard is GOING TO PARIS! #USAGTrials24 pic.twitter.com/vDfnN2KUAs
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 29, 2024
Watching Frederick Richard’s flares in slow motion on repeat. 🔁 #USAGTrials24 pic.twitter.com/HUBn8OIVQp
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 29, 2024
Frederick Richard posts an impressive 14.400 on high bar, the highest score through five rotations. 👀 #XfinityChamps | 📺 @peacock pic.twitter.com/XajxgkXro5
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) May 31, 2024
In contrast to the women’s gymnastics selection procedure be and other Olympic sports like basketball, the men’s gymnastics selection process is more akin to track and field, where team spots are finally decided by numbers. But the math regulating men’s gymnastics is a little trickier than it is for track and field. Richard, Brody Malone, Paul Juda, Asher Hong, and Stephen Nedoroscik received invitations to join the national team, with Khoi Young and Shane Wiskus named as traveling alternates. The top four scores from the U.S. Championships and Olympic trials are determined by taking the best three results from each day of competition.
Even if the math is objective and unbiased, Brett McClure, the director of the Men’s Gymnastics program, must nonetheless make the final selections. “You’re not human if you don’t have those types of emotions for these incredible athletes,” McClure said to The Athletic. All athletes risk everything, having trained for this moment their entire lives. It hurts my guts so much. It’s fantastic for those who succeed and terrible for those who don’t quite cut it.
“The math locked it,” McClure went on. The squad is what it is because of this. “This is a great team,” McClure responded when the source pressed him on whether or not it was the best team. These men are the greatest, according to the outcomes of two tournaments. Definitely for this process.