US men win bronze medal in team final
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US men’s Olympic gymnastics team have their eye on the podium in Paris
The U.S. men’s gymnastics team haven’t won an Olympic medal since 2008, and they’re looking to end that drought at the Paris Olympics this summer.
PARIS – For the first time in 16 years, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team has won an Olympic medal.
Buoyed by a resurgent performance from national champion Brody Malone, who competed in five of the six events, Team USA held off Great Britain and Ukraine to win bronze at the 2024 Olympics. Japan surged to gold in the final rotation, while China took silver.
It’s the first time the American men have been on the Olympic podium since 2008, when Jonathan Horton led them to bronze. And ultimately, they finished closer to second-place China (1.3 points off) than they did fourth-place Great Britain (2.2 points).
Stephen Nedoroscik, a pommel horse specialist whose only contribution to the team score came on the very last routine of the night, helped clinch the bronze for Team USA with a solid performance. But every member of the team hit clutch routines, including Paul Juda and Asher Hong on vault and Frederick Richard on high bar.
The Americans finished fifth at each of the previous three Summer Olympics, and they finished fifth again in Saturday’s qualifying. The difference on Monday largely revolved around Malone.
Malone, 24, had been expected to qualify for the all-around individual final and perhaps even contend for a medal, but he had a dreadful showing in qualifying – with falls on pommel horse, floor and even high bar, the event in which he won a world championship in 2022. It was such a jarring performance that some of his teammates later said he apologized to them afterwards.
“I know Brody’s a dog and a competitor,” Hong said. “So I know he’s going to come into team finals and full send.”
And he did. Malone improved upon or matched his performances on every apparatus, including a significantly better showing on high bar that helped keep the U.S. ahead of its bronze rivals. After falling twice on the apparatus in qualifying, he looked much more comfortable – and stuck the landing – for a score that was nearly two full points higher than his score Saturday.
Hong, Juda and Richard, meanwhile, each competed in four events – each pumping up their teammates, and the crowd, between routines. Chants of “U-S-A!” rang out at Bercy Arena at multiple points over the course of the night.
Although China and Japan were long considered the favorites, the U.S. knew for months that it would benefit from the absence of Russia, which is banned from team competitions at these Olympics because of its invasion of Ukraine.
The Americans knew the bronze medal was there for the taking. And they took it.
Check out all the highlights from the team final.
Stephen Nedoroscik closed out the U.S. men’s rotation on pommel horse, nailing his routine and enciting a massive cheer from the crowd, including a chant of “USA! USA!” His teammates threw him in the air in celebration. He earned a score of 14.866.
Brody Malone scored a 13.700 on pommel horse, leaving only Stephen Nedoroscik’s turn on the rotation left.
Paul Juda opened the U.S. men’s rotation on…
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