Amid Horrifically Injured Brody Malone’s Anticipated Return, Ex-Teammate Amps Up Contention for Olympics 24

It was the year 2021 when things seemed uncertain for gymnastics icon Brody Malone when the Tokyo Olympics’ men’s gymnastics roster was yet to be announced. However, from sitting outside the picture for the U.S. Olympic men’s gymnastics team to being the first to lock in his trip to Tokyo in a matter of weeks, Malone made it to the Olympics stage.

Nevertheless, this year too, the gymnast’s contention in the 2024 Olympics is surrounded with intrigue in the wake of an injury, and his fandom is pondering over his return to the mat. However, as the Olympic trials are fast approaching, Malone’s compatriots are preparing in full swing for the upcoming season. Following suit, the 2017 U.S. all-around champion, Yul Moldauer is also girding up his loins to shine bright in the French capital.

Yul Moldauer taking his Olympic steps

In an Instagram story shared by Yul Moldauer on 20th December, the former Oklahoma student was seen justifying his reputation yet again on the high bars. Moldauer looked transfixed on the goal as he made three consecutive flips on the high bar followed by a gracefully twisting descent onto the mat. His high bar skills made Moldauer look like a pretty solid candidate to represent the country at next year’s Olympics.

Moldauer’s performance left even the onlookers enthralled. In the video, the person behind the camera can be heard gasping out “wow“s and “whoa“s while watching Yul’s jaw-dropping warm-ups. With so many believers and supporters behind him, Yul Moldauer is looking like a force to be reckoned with.

Nevertheless, U.S. all-around gymnastics champion Brody Maloneplans to return from three right leg surgeries to full routines around next April ahead of the Olympic Trials.

Understandably, Malone has been one of the prominent names in the gymnastics circuit of the country as well as internationally. The Paris Olympics would be his second Olympics and alone is trying hard to secure his spot at the national ahead of the Games. With the team trials fast approaching, Brody has been preparing to get back into the game after suffering from an injury during the 2023 DTB Pokal.

Malone sets on the road to recovery ahead of DTB Pokal injury

At the 2023 DTB Pokal, Malone was flying high on his signature event ‘high bar’ when tings went downhill for him. “The whole routine, the bar felt fine. And then I just did the dismount, tap, and it was my left hand, just peeled. My dumb self, I was in the air, I was like, ‘Oh, man, I can do like a half out of this and land it and still beat Daiki [Hashimoto],” stated Malone. In the wake of this, the gymnast underwent three surgeries to address the internal lacerations and fractures he had.

Now, as the gymnast set on the road to recovery, he is looking toward his prospects of making it to the 2024 gymnastics roster with an optimistic perspective. While Swiss Cup winner Yul Moldauer has more than a strong case, Brody is also one of the top contenders for the Paris Olympics. Malone’s rise to fame was foretold thanks to his impressive junior-level performance. And he did not disappoint. Malone became one of the greatest NCAA champs of all time. However, his March injury impacted his mentality significantly and he has been jittery since.

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With his surgeries going well, Malone has been training hard to represent the USA in the Olympics one more time. It waits to be seen if the former teammates both have a reunion ahead or if one of them has to leave the team trials with a broken heart.

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