Fred Richard Is Team USA’s Next Olympic Hope for Men’s Gymnastics

At the gymnastics world championships in Antwerp, Belgium, in October, Fred Richard found himself in an unfamiliar position—face down on the mat.

Entering the last event in the all-around competition, in which gymnasts compete in six events—vault, floor, high bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, and rings—he did something he doesn’t normally do. He glanced at the scoreboard. His name was second.

“That was the biggest mistake,” he says. As Richard mounted the high bar, his best event, his mind raced with the possibilities.