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Paris 2024: USA men's gymnastics team ends 16-year-long Olympic drought with bronze medal
USA bested Ukraine and Great Britain to win the bronze medal in the gymnastics team event.
It’s been a long time coming for the U.S. men's gymnastics team.
After 16 years, the team finally won an Olympic medal. Monday evening, USA bested Ukraine and Great Britain to win the bronze medal in the gymnastics team event. Japan won the gold, while China clinched the silver medal.
The team consisted of Asher Hong, Paul Juda, national champion Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, and Fred Richard.
"They went out and they did their job," coach Sam Mikulak said. "They went 18 for 18 ... the part we're most proud of is they didn't count any falls. They showed heart. They showed heart. They enjoyed every step of it.
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All eyes were on Nedoroscik, who had to perform the last routine of the evening. He is a pommel horse specialist and delivered an impeccable performance to guide his team to a bronze medal. Richard on the high bar and Jude and Hong on the vault also made splendid contributions.
"Stephen was in the hardest seat of the entire competition, being last up on the last event, knowing that if you hit a routine, you're probably going to medal," team’s high-performance director Brett McClure told USA Today Sports. “And he did it.”
Brody Malone didn’t have the start he wanted during the qualifying rounds. He fell during his events and even apologized to his teammates later on. However, the national champion did not spend a lot of his energy and time stressing over those mistakes but rather looked to improve in the final rounds to give his team the boost it needed for a medal.
"The first night was a fluke for Brody. That's not who he is," USA Gymnastics men's high-performance director Brett McClure told USA Today Sports. "I really believed I didn't need to say anything to him other than, 'Let's get in this. Let's get in this competition.' And he was like, 'Absolutely.' He turned it around like he always does."
Now, all eyes will lie on the women’s gymnastics team that is touted to win the gold on Tuesday. Star gymnast Simone Biles hurt her calf during the qualifying rounds but has announced that she will participate in all her four events during the final.
