Sports

5 things to know about U.S. gymnastics star and Mass. native Frederick Richard

The gymnastics star for the U.S. Olympics team could be the face of a new era for the men's sport.

Fred Richard, of the United States, reacts after performing on the rings during the men's artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Fred Richard, of the United States, reacts after performing on the rings during the men's artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. AP Photo / Abbie Parr

By Sanjana Mishra

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A new face is making history at the Paris Olympics. The U.S. men’s gymnastics team hasn’t won a medal since the Beijing Games 16 years ago — until today. Taking home a bronze, the U.S. men’s team scored 257.793 points at Bercy Arena. One athlete, Massachusetts native Frederick Richard, played a pivotal role in this victory.

From Stoughton, Richard received the highest all-around score for the U.S. men’s team at Saturday’s qualifying round, placing 10th overall. He is set to compete on Wednesday in the all-around final.

Here are five things to know about the 20-year-old gymnast:

1. Richard became the youngest male American gymnast to win an individual all-around medal at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship.

He took home bronze, becoming the first American men’s all-around medalist since 2010. This came after his wins as the 2021 and 2022 Junior Pan American Champion. The Paris Games mark his first Olympics, though likely not his last.

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“I want to say that the world knows Frederick Richard’s name and that he’s going to keep getting stronger and stronger, and in 2028 he’ll probably be the greatest gymnast in the world,” he told the Boston Globe.

2. Richard wants to see more Black male gymnasts and expand the sport to something more mainstream.

Black athletes have dominated the women’s side of gymnastics, but Richard wants to see more men too, and takes pride in the fact that he could very well be a driving force in that shift.

“I’ve grown up my whole life wishing there were some Black gymnasts dominating the sport on the men’s side that I can look up to, wishing that the sport was 20 times bigger,” Richard said. “Now I have an opportunity to contribute to that and make that happen. So I just view it as an opportunity now, every day is an opportunity to compete to make the sport bigger to make my dreams happen.”

3. Richard boasts an immense social media presence.

With over 712,000 followers on TikTok and 348,000 followers on Instagram, @frederickflips posts frequent updates about his training, competitions and even his sports clothing line. One of Richard’s most popular TikToks features him recreating a move from “The Karate Kid,” earning over 3 million likes.

4. Richard attends the University of Michigan along with his teammate, Paul Juda.

Both Richard and Juda, who placed 13th in the qualifiers, will move forward to the individual all-around final on Wednesday. Both also competed in the team final earlier Monday.

5. Richard, along with his teammates, met with the First Lady after the qualifiers.

After finishing the qualification round with a score of 83.498 in front of an audience that included first lady Jill Biden, Richard revealed that he wished he performed a “cooler floor routine,” but is grateful for the support.

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“I did not expect today that I would meet the first lady, but I’m very thankful for the opportunity and I’m glad they’re watching,” Richard said in an article from People Magazine. “I mean, that’s powerful too.”