US Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Team Wins Bronze, First Olympic Medal since 2008

The U.S. men’s artistic gymnastics team ended a 16-year Olympic medal drought by winning bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 29, 2023.

Competing at Bercy Arena, the USA team earned 257.793. They just finished behind Japan, who scored 259.594, and China garnered 259.062. Japan took gold while China took silver.

Team USA is made up of talented athletes: Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, and Frederick Richard. All of them showed exceptional skill and composure at the game.

The team started strong, leading early with impressive performances on the rings and vault. Despite strong routines from top contenders Japan and China, Team USA maintained a high level of performance throughout the event.

Richard stood out with impressive performances in multiple events. He scored 14.466 on the floor exercise, 14.566 on the parallel bars, and 14.833 on the horizontal bars.

Meanwhile, Hong significantly contributed to the team’s overall score with impressive performances. He scored 14.533 on the rings and 14.833 on the vault.

Nedoroscik, a specialist on the pommel horse, was the last to perform his stunts. He played a crucial role in securing the bronze medal by achieving a team-high score of 14.866.

Following this pivotal performance, Team USA’s official Instagram account celebrated the men’s gymnastics team’s first Olympic medal in 16 years. The group declared, “SIXTEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING 🇺🇸🥉The men of @usagym are Olympic bronze medalists in the men’s team final!”

This triumph harkens back to the team’s previous Olympic medal, a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games. That achievement marked their second consecutive Olympic team medal after winning silver in 2004.

The 2008 team included Alexander Artemev, Raj Bhavsar, Joseph Hagerty, Jonathan Horton, Justin Spring, and Kevin Tan, with David Durante as the replacement athlete. They were coached by Kevin Mazeika. In that event, China won gold, and Japan took silver.

Building on this legacy, the current team — Hong, Juda, Malone, Nedoroscik, and Richard — celebrated their success with selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower. In one of their pictures, they proudly bit their medals in the traditional Olympic celebration.

The U.S. team’s path to success began with their performance in the qualifying round, where they advanced to the team final in fifth place with a score of 253.229.

China, Japan, Great Britain, and Ukraine claimed the top four spots in the finals. Meanwhile, Richard and Juda qualified for the all-around final. They finished 10th and 13th, respectively.

Nedoroscik secured a spot in the pommel horse final with a qualifying score of 15.200, the same as Rhys McClenaghan of Ireland. In the final, McClenaghan scored 8.900, narrowly beating Nedoroscik’s 8.800. This placed Nedoroscik in second place.

Nedoroscik, known for his agility and dedication, became the first American gymnast to make the Olympic team as a single-event specialist. He began gymnastics at four and later earned the nickname “Spider Monkey” for his agile climbing skills.

Continuing his sport, Nedoroscik’s journey took off when he started training at Penn State. There, he specialized in the pommel horse and won two national championships.

Despite his training, Nedoroscik faced heartbreak when he missed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He acknowledged that he had faltered under pressure.

Reflecting on his journey, Nedoroscik said, “A lot of times in my career, I’ve taken a negative and turned it into a positive. I kind of redirect energy, immediately went back to the gym, and just started grinding.”

Nedoroscik’s optimistic mindset has paid off, as shown by his and his teammates’ bronze medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Their victory reignites hope, sets a new standard, and marks a triumphant moment for American gymnastics.