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MINNEAPOLIS — For Fred Richard, the dream is becoming reality.
Picture this: the burst of confetti, the blaze of lights, the electric thrill as his name echoes through the arena, proclaiming him an Olympian.
The 20-year-old dynamo, who has dedicated himself to elevating the profile of men’s gymnastics in the United States, always knew that making it to the Olympics would be a crucial milestone.
And now, the moment has arrived – with a bang.
Richard is at the forefront of the five-member team representing the U.S. in Paris next month, aiming for a podium finish after his triumph at the Olympic trials this Saturday.
“This is a new peak for me,” Richard stated. “And I’m geared up for the climb.”
He certainly seems prepared, having notched a solid and at times dazzling two-day all-around score of 170.500 at the trials, narrowly edging out three-time national champion Brody Malone who scored 170.300.
Known to his legion of online fans as “Frederick Flips,” Richard has tirelessly worked to place men’s gymnastics in the limelight, producing viral videos that often feature collaborations with other athletes.
The spotlight won’t get any brighter than the one at Bercy Arena, where Richard, along with teammates Malone, Asher Hong, Paul Juda, and Stephen Nedoroscik, will compete.
Following a bronze at the 2023 world championships – the program’s first major international medal in almost ten years – Richard and his team are setting their sights higher for this summer.
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Richard emphasizes that the goal isn’t just any medal, but gold. “And we’re going to land on something,” he adds with confidence.
The Americans have been retooling their strategy over the past three years following a disappointing showing at the Tokyo Olympics. They’ve introduced a revised scoring system at domestic competitions to reward athletes for pursuing higher difficulty routines.
This effort aims to narrow the significant difficulty gap that had opened up between the U.S. and gymnastics giants such as China and Japan. By the Olympic qualifiers on July 27, this gap should shrink to just two points, boosting the Americans’ chances for a podium finish.
“We’re in control of our destiny now,” high performance director Brett McClure declared.
And with Malone, 24, overcoming a severe knee injury through extensive rehab to make a remarkable comeback, the team’s resilience is evident.
Malone and Richard will be joined by Juda and Hong, key members from last year’s world championship team, in a relatively youthful squad eager to make their mark. Nedoroscik is 25, Juda will soon turn 23, and both Richard and Hong are just 20.
The aftermath saw Juda emotionally overwhelmed, while Hong expressed satisfaction after bouncing back from a challenging performance at nationals, where he felt the judges were particularly harsh.
Khoi Young and Shane Wiskus, the latter set to retire after this season and a member of the 2020 Olympic team, will act as alternates.
For Richard, this is just the beginning. Having set his sights on Paris from his younger days in the Boston suburbs, he’s ready to prove there’s more to him than his flashy persona.
“I aim to be an Olympic medalist; that’s just who I am,” he affirmed. “And I’m thrilled to keep pushing for that.”