How NCAA gymnastics was a guiding light for a successful US men's Olympic team at Paris 2024
All five members of Team USA are current or former collegiate gymnasts: 'It’s been a great help for our team, camaraderie and our trust in each other,' they said.
Artistic Gymnastics
The five men who ended Team USA’s medal draught in the Olympic artistic gymnastics team competition all had one thing in common: they are current or former members of NCAA gymnastics teams.
“I think that’s what we leaned on the most,” two-time Olympian and former Stanford University competitor Brody Malone told Olympics.com the day after he helped lead the US squad to a bronze medal at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. It was the nation’s first medal in the event since 2008 and came after three straight fifth-place finishes.
“NCAA gymnastics teaches you how to be a team and compete for a team,” he continued, “and so we’ve all been through that program, and it was super easy to translate that to this team.”
Malone was joined by fellow Stanford gymnast Asher Hong, a pair of current University of Michigan competitors Fred Richard and Paul Juda, and Penn State alumn Stephen Nedoroscik.
Together, the quintet produced one of the most memorable team performances in recent history, delivering hit routine after hit routine that culminated in Nedoroscik’s sole performance of the day on pommel horse.
“It was a very long day as you can imagine,” admitted Nedoroscik. “I watched these guys go through the first four events and absolutely kill it. Then, I went to the back gym and I was just ready to go. I was like, ‘Let’s lock in.’”
Their closeness, the group says, made it all possible.
“My role is just to kind of bring everyone together,” said Malone. “But it was super easy when you’ve got a group of guys like this who all have been through an NCAA program.”
Hong agreed.
“NCAA [gymnastics]… it’s more than just yourself and you’re competing for your team. That translated perfectly here,” he said. “I think I can take that mindset to any other team that I’ll be on and give it my all, give my 100 percent trust in my boys and have faith that they’re going to deliver, which they all did.”
And there might be many more teams for this squad, of which all five are 25 years old or younger, including a pair of 20-year-olds in Hong and Richard.
“I’m going to stay until ’28 and hopefully ’32,” says Hong. “I want to keep doing the sport I love and just hopefully inspire more generations to come.”
Adds Nedoroscik, who at 25 was the oldest member of the team: “You might think I’m nearing the end of my career, but I’m going for ’28 without a doubt. I love this sport, and I’ve been getting better and better despite the fact that I’m getting older and older.”
The trio hopes their success in Paris will serve as a motivator for the next generation.
“This should be a wake-up call and an inspiration for all young gymnasts out there,” said Malone. “When you put your mind to something and you set a goal and you work for it as a team, you can make it happen. We showed the world that.”
They also showed the power of what they learned as collegiate athletes.
“The five of us have come from an NCAA program. It’s been a great help for our team, camaraderie and our trust in each other,” Hong said.