Olympic fever is running rampant at meetcritique HQ! One of our MAG senior judges breaks down the 2024 Men’s Gymnastics team to tee up the 2024 Games. 

2024 Paris Olympics: Team USA Men’s look to return to the podium for the first time since 2008

The 2024 Paris Olympics begin with opening ceremonies this Friday, July 26th! Brody Malone, Fred Richard, Paul Juda, Asher Hong, and Stephen Nedoroscik are the five men representing the United States setting out with one goal in mind: returning the United States to the podium for the first time since 2008. Brody Malone may be the only athlete who represented team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but this is a young squad that already has experience on the world stage and is eager to show the world that Team USA belongs in the conversation with Japan and China.

Brody Malone has had arguably one of the most incredible comeback stories ever. A career-ending injury at the DTB Pokal World Cup in Germany in March 2023 altered his future in the sport. After multiple surgeries, Brody began to relearn how to walk around July 2023. Fast forward to May 2024, he competed in his first all-around competition since his injury, where he finished first and solidified himself as a contender for Paris. Brody’s comeback was complete when he finished second all-around at the Olympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota a month ago and was named to the 2024 Olympic Team. The 2022 High Bar World Champion (and 2021 High Bar World’s Bronze Medalist) will lead this rookie US team this weekend and work to reclaim the United State’s spot on the podium.

Fred Richard has taken both the gymnastics community and social media community by storm this past year. Not only does he have over 300k Instagram followers and 650k TikTok followers, Fred is also the reigning World All-Around Bronze Medalist and 2024 US Olympic Trials Champion. At only 20 years old, the University of Michigan gymnast has done so much for the gymnastics community and looks to continue his hot streak and help lead team USA in his first Olympic Games this year in Paris. 

Paul Juda, a fellow Michigan Wolverine, is also competing in his first Olympic Games. Flash back to 2021, Paul Juda secured Team USA an extra berth to the Tokyo Olympics with his incredible performance at the Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Being named an alternate for the 2020 Olympics, Paul completed his redemption arc this year and will proudly call himself an Olympian. Paul also competed for Team USA at the 2023 World Championships where he qualified for vault and high bar finals.

Asher Hong’s performance at the Olympic Trials a month ago helped him claim a spot on Team USA. Highlighted by a world-class vault and impressive strength on the rings, Asher will add some difficulty and depth to this squad. The 20 year-old Stanford Cardinal, also competed at the 2023 World Championships where he helped Team USA claim bronze.

Stephen Nedoroscik, the Penn State alum and pommel horse specialist rounds out team USA. Stephen is one of the happiest and most positive people ever. The 2021 pommel horse world champion will have his eyes set on reclaiming gold on the pommel horse as well as anchoring the pommel horse squad for Team USA. Often used to competing in the final few rotations of a competition, Stephen will bring a sense of poise and calmness to this young squad. 

Shane Wiskus and Khoi Young are the traveling alternates and Yul Moldauer, Donnell Whittenburg, and Patrick Hoopes are the non-traveling alternates for team USA.

Team USA will compete in the Men’s Qualification – Subdivision 1 along with Germany, Great Britain, and Canada at 5:00 am EST on Saturday, July 27th. Men’s Team Final will be on Monday, July 29th at 11:30 am EST.

See the full competition schedule here: https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/artistic-gymnastics?day=27-july

Best of luck to all the athletes competing and GO TEAM USA!