While the US female gymnastics team has always been in the limelight because of its incredible achievements, the same cannot always be said for the men’s team. The side has suffered to leave its mark in multiple competitions, including recent editions of the Olympics, where they hadn’t bagged a medal since 2006. Thus, when Fred Richard and co. won the bronze medal in Paris, the team earned incredible praise among fans.

It seemed that, for the first time in years, male gymnasts were also enjoying the same level of attention, which is still reserved mostly for their female counterparts. The praise increased even more after Pommel horse guy Stephen Nedoroscik’s appearance at Dancing with the Stars, where he constantly made tribute to the team. But now Fred Richard has recently opened up on his experience navigating this newfound fame.

While the gymnast has made numerous appearances since the Paris Olympics, which made him popular, including his streams with IShowSpeed, a visit that is set to be very fond for him is the Boston Celtics game against the Philadelphia 76ers, which took place on Christmas. Fred Richard received a great welcome at the TD Garden, where he was making his first appearance since his Gold Over America performance. While at that time, most in the audience seemed to have concentrated on Simone Biles, this time, it felt different.

The crowd gave Fred a massive cheer as he was introduced to them after the first quarter. He was called to the middle of the arena, where he showed off his backflips, doing it alongside mascot Lucky. The cheers and the love he received were something huge for Fred Richard.

Since outlining his ambitions to make male gymnastics a more popular sport, it seems that the people are slowly recognizing him. “It’s so weird,” he said, talking to the Boston Globe. “I think about how often I walk down the street, see someone’s face, and think, ‘Hmm, is that that guy?’ And people are doing that to me now. I’m like, ‘Is my face that memorable?’ It’s pretty crazy, but pretty cool.” Thus, it seems that Fred Richard is also enjoying his sudden popularity after the Olympic bronze medal.

Fred Richard’s ambition in gymnastics

Fred Richard has always had one huge ambition. He wants to make male gymnastics a popular commodity in the US. This would reach to the extent where gymnasts are recognized when they go out in the street and are asked for their autographs. “I’m really passionate about changing the support around the sport,” he told NBC Sports.

The gymnast wants to achieve this by following the Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson model, in which the comedian and the pro wrestler built a whole brand around their talent. Fred aims to do the same using gymnastics in the center of it. “I could see the potential and what being bigger in reach can do,” Fred Richard told Olympics.com. “I knew gymnastics was a sport where just competing well wasn’t going to get me the eyes I wanted to get, so I invested in that.”

His TikTok account, boosted by collaborations with popular streamer IShowSpeed, is a testament to the Olympic bronze medalist’s early and impressive fanbase. If he continues doing this, he’ll slowly become a celebrity and definitely attract more eyes towards male gymnastics. All he has to do now is continue what he’s doing off the mat and win more medals on the mat. If he is successful, he could revolutionize male gymnastics as we know it.

Do you think Richard would be able to do so before the LA Olympics? Let us know in the comments below.