MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Fred Richard is ready to flip all the way to Paris.
The 20-year-old gymnast and founder of the “ Frederick Flips ” brand headlines the U.S. men's Olympic gymnastics team that will head to France next month with legitimate medal hopes.
Richard earned an automatic berth on the five-man team by winning the all-around and finishing in the top three on three events at the U.S. Olympic trials on Saturday. The Massachusetts native and rising junior at Michigan posted a two-day total of 170.500 to edge three-time national champion Brody Malone.
Malone, a 2020 Olympian whose career was nearly derailed by a devastating right knee injury in March 2023, finished just behind Richard at 170.300. The 24-year-old Malone is the oldest member of an American team that has taken massive strides over the last several years.
Paul Juda, 22, and Asher Hong, 20, who helped the U.S. win a team bronze at the 2023 world championships, are also on the team. So is 25-year-old pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik.
Khoi Young and Shane Wiskus will serve as the alternates.
With defending champion Russia unable to defend its title due to the war in Ukraine, the door is wide open for the Americans to medal on the sport's biggest stage for the first time since the six-man group led by Jonathan Horton claimed bronze in Beijing 16 years ago.
The U.S. overhauled its program after finishing well off the podium in Tokyo three years ago, introducing a bonus scoring system in domestic events designed to urge athletes to take on more difficult skills.
It has worked wonders. The Americans have closed the gap on superpowers China and Japan led by the charismatic Richard, who has said it's his mission to help bring men's gymnastics to the masses. He has over a million followers on social media, though Richard has stressed his main goal is to make the U.S. team relevant again.
___
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
