MINNEAPOLIS — Frederick Richard stuck his vault, turned to the crowd and pointed his index finger in the air. He was right. He was number one, the official all-around champion of the U.S. Olympic Trials, and — by virtue of his top three finishes in the floor, parallel bars and high bar — an automatic qualifier for Paris.
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Richard, who in 2023 became the first American man to medal at the World Championships, headlines an American squad that carries lofty expectations and legitimate potential to Paris, bringing a combination of savvy veteran experience and the insouciance of youth. Brody Malone, a 2020 Olympian, joins the 20-year-old Richard along with Paul Juda, Asher Hong and pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik on the five-man squad.
Khoi Young and Shane Wiskus were named as the traveling alternates.
“I’m an Olympian.”⁰⁰Frederick Richard is GOING TO PARIS! #USAGTrials24 pic.twitter.com/vDfnN2KUAs
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 29, 2024
It has been 16 years since the U.S. men won a team medal and a dozen years since they’ve won a medal of any kind, but this team believes it has the stuff to rewrite its own history.
“What can you expect to see from me and the team in Paris?” Richard asked the crowd after securing his spot, before answering his own question: “Medals. You can expect to see some medals in Paris.”
Malone, who suffered a catastrophic leg injury in March 2023, wasn’t even sure he’d be able to compete this year. Instead, he finished just .2 points behind Richard in the all-around standings while still wearing a bulky brace for the floor exercise. Juda, the 22-year-old member of the world team, sobbed as he held up his flowers during his introduction while Hong, only 20 and a three-event champion at the NCAAs this year, raised his hands in triumph.
Raw emotion from Paul Juda after making his first Olympic team. 🥲🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/WvhV84BG2B
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 29, 2024
Unlike the more discretionary women’s selection process, the men have, at the request of their athletes and coaches, gone to a far more mathematically-based decision. It’s complicated, but essentially the top three scores from the two days of competition at each of the U.S. Championships and Trials are run, and then the top four scores are run the same way.
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In this case, the math added up and Richard, Juda, Malone and Hong made the cut. Hometown crowd favorite Wiskus, who finished third at the trials and fourth in Texas, did not. Nor did Young, who in 2023 became the first American man to win three medals at a single World Championship since 2003. Young finished third at the U.S. Championships but struggled at the trials, finishing 15th overall and, aside from a first-place on vault, no better than eighth on any other individual apparatus.
The wild card selection may seem like Nedoroscik, a pommel horse specialist, since Young is also good there. But Nedoroscik finished second at the trials and won the championships, while Young was not even top five at either event. Nedoroscik is also a world champion in an event the Americans need help with.
The math doesn’t make the decision any less grueling. Malone, whose name was announced last, said the locker room was a rollercoaster of emotions, as men celebrated the joy of making the team while others endured the devastation of being cut. Men’s program director Brett McClure had to deliver the news.
“You’re not human if you don’t have those types of emotions for these incredible athletes,” McClure said. “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 big question is: Is this the best team for the United States? Second guessing is already running rampant on social media, but the objective method left no arguing.
“The math locked it,” McClure said. “That’s why the team is what it is.” Pressed if it was the best team, he 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.”
Required reading
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- Simone Biles dominates first day of U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials as injuries shake up field
(Photo: Elsa / Getty Images)
