Frederick "Fred" Richard is the leader of the US men's team and, through his social channels, the most widely followed male gymnast in the United States. In Rotterdam he is the American hope for an individual medal.
Antwerp 2023
Richard's breakthrough came at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp. At 19 he won all-around bronze behind Daiki Hashimoto and Illia Kovtun, and team bronze with the United States.
Paris and after
In 2024 he won the US Olympic Trials all-around and went to Paris, where the US men won team bronze, their first Olympic team medal since 2008. Richard placed 15th in the all-around final.
At the University of Michigan he has been one of the strongest college gymnasts of his generation. He won the NCAA all-around title in 2023, 2025 and 2026, and helped Michigan to the team title in 2025. In 2026 he won his first US national all-around title, plus the floor title.
Rotterdam 2026
The US men had a difficult first day in Rotterdam, with costly errors on pommel horse and parallel bars, and sat fourth in the team ranking after four of six subdivisions on 245.961. Richard scored 14.233 on floor, second best at that point, and 14.133 on horizontal bar.
For the United States, the stakes are high in the men's team final on 20 October. A top-three finish among eligible nations would secure a place at the home Olympics in Los Angeles.
