The U.S. men’s artistic gymnastics team captured the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games on Monday evening at Bercy Arena.
The team, featuring Asher Hong (born in Plano, Texas), Paul Juda (Deerfield, Ill.), Brody Malone (Aragon, Ga.), Stephen Nedoroscik (Worcester, Mass.) and Frederick Richard (Stoughton, Mass.), earned the first U.S. men’s team Olympic medal since Beijing 2008, according to USA Gymnastics.
Executing each routine with precision, the Americans maintained their lead through the rings and vault rotations. Despite strong competition from Japan and China, the U.S. team secured their place on the podium with a score of 257.793. Japan won gold with 259.594, narrowly defeating China, who scored 259.062.
The U.S. team's performance was marked by higher scores on 14 of 18 routines compared to their qualifying round on Saturday. They achieved the second-highest team scores on vault (44.032) and still rings (42.732) and the third-highest on horizontal bar (42.365). Richard and Hong were standout performers, with Richard leading on floor (14.466), parallel bars (14.566) and horizontal bar (14.833), while Hong excelled on rings (14.533) and vault (14.833). Nedoroscik secured the bronze with a 14.866 on pommel horse, according to Team USA.
As the final scores were displayed, confirming the U.S. team's third-place finish, the arena erupted in cheers and “U-S-A” chants.
The American flag was raised during the medal ceremony, a sight not seen since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "The crowd chanting 'U-S-A' was invigorating," said Juda, during the interview, as reported by WFAA. "The first 'U-S-A,' I was like, 'Oh my God, this is awesome.' It just kept growing and growing."
Despite being a young team with only Malone having prior Olympic experience, the U.S. gymnasts showed remarkable confidence and focus. "We made a strong point to stay in our bubble and worry about what we can control," said Malone during an interview. "We weren't worried about scores. We made sure to huddle after every event."
Starting strong on rings, the Americans improved their qualifying scores and secured fifth place after the first rotation. Stellar vault performances by Juda, Malone and Hong propelled the team to the lead after the second rotation.
The U.S. women’s team will compete Tuesday night in the team final, continuing its quest for Olympic success. Be sure to check Local Profile's guide of where to watch the Olympics in North Texas. Visit the FIG website for live scoring information and the USA Gymnastics Paris 2024 info page for all things Team USA.
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