U.S. gymnast Frederick Richards ambition soars beyond Paris Olympics

August 17, 2024

PARIS — Before competing on his best apparatus, Frederick Richard sat in fourth place in the overall standings of the men’s gymnastics qualification. No place at all for someone who possesses Frederick Richard’s aspirations.

Richard, 20, may be a gymnast in name and reputation. But he’s really a dreamer. An ambitious climber. A young man who views these Paris Olympics as his launchpad to world domination. Which, if Richard was a movie villain, would sound menacing.

“I’d want to say that the world knows Frederick Richard’s name …”

Somehow, Richard — with his disarming smile and sincere expressions — can pull off a quote like that. He’s just being honest.

So, ahead of his high bar routine, Richard stood just feet away from the elevated platform and lowered his head. No, he wasn’t thinking about the standings. Richard says he doesn’t follow the scores, and if that’s true, then he didn’t realize that he was trailing his U.S. and University of Michigan teammate Paul Juda and a pair of gymnasts from Britain. Instead, Richard bowed his head so he could visualize his routine.

This was the same apparatus on which he had earned an NCAA championship during his freshman season at Michigan and won during the 2021 U.S. gymnastics championships. Most people don’t know that — because most people don’t follow men’s gymnastics. Richard aims to change that.

Some Olympians arrive at the Olympics just happy to wave their flag during the Opening Ceremonies. Did you catch the Italians’ party boat floating down the Seine on Friday night? Not all of those athletes will leave with a medal, but they all won gold in having the most fun.

Other athletes would consider it to be a lifetime achievement to medal in their discipline. After U.S. divers Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon won their silver medals in the women’s synchronized three-meter diving competition, Cook summed up the dream feeling: “This is freaking awesome.”

But Richard has other plans. He simply wants to dominate his sport, make it popular for the masses, create a pipeline for young Black boys … and, oh, yes, take over the world.

“I put it on myself, but I don’t view it as pressure. I view it as an opportunity,” Richard said after the day’s first subdivision when the United States competed alongside Britain, Canada, Germany and several other individuals representing their countries. “I grew up my whole life wishing there was some Black gymnast dominating the sport in the men’s side that I could look up to, wishing that the sport was 20 times bigger. And now I have an opportunity to contribute to that and make that happen.”

Conquering a mountain that high takes small, incremental steps. Such as in 2023, when Richard became the first American male to medal in the all-around at the world championships in 13 years. Then another step Saturday, when he sought to finish among the 24 gymnasts who would qualify for the all-around final in the Olympics.

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So Richard was envisioning his next step, seeing himself complete every daring and graceful skill on the high bar. With his eyes closed, Richard moved ever so slightly. Turning his head to the right, twisting his torso to the left. He called it “going through the motions,” a mundane and completely wrong way of explaining the complexities and power involved in his high-difficulty routine. When Richard finished his visualization, he rested on a seat to watch teammate Brody Malone’s routine.

Malone struggled. On his first release element, Malone let go of the high bar, flipped in the air and fell. Richard reacted by looking away. The way you might divert your eyes when someone slips on a sidewalk, as to not add to their embarrassment. Then Malone slipped again, and Richard, again, turned his eyes to the left. Looking away might have been the most kind thing, but also someone with Richard’s goals can’t let the visual of a faulty release creep into his mind. He’s got a world to conquer.

Finally, his turn on the high bar. And Frederick Richard proved why he deserves to speak liberally of himself in the third person.

From the crowd inside Bercy Arena, the gasps were mixed with awe when Richard let go for his first release attempt and caught the bar. Those gulps grew louder into enthusiastic cheers by his second and third and fourth flips. Then, Richard dismounted and stuck a dead-on landing, finishing with a 14.166 score, good enough for third overall in the group.

“Let’s go!” Richard said to himself, to the crowd, to the audience he hasn’t met quite yet but hopes to wow over the next few days.

“I just view that as an opportunity,” Richard said. “Every day’s an opportunity to compete and to make this sport bigger, and make my dreams happen. So I could see it right there; I’m reaching for it and not fearing missing out.”

The United States finished behind Britain in its subdivision, casting doubt on whether this team can earn a medal. That’s not where Richard wants the sport to be.

Behind his high bar routine, Richard finished 10th after all the gymnasts were done Saturday. Richard would have to earn a medal — gold would be nice, if far-fetched — to accomplish his world takeover. For now, a gymnast can dream, can’t he?

“We want to say that Team USA made a statement to the world, that we’re getting better and better on the men’s side, and we represented the country well,” Richard said, answering a question on what he would like the narrative to be surrounding his team following its Olympic performance. “I’d want to say that the world knows Frederick Richard’s name and that he’s going to keep getting stronger and stronger and in 2028 he’ll probably be the greatest gymnast in the world. That’s what I want the world to say after this competition.”

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