“Become an Olympian”. That’s what Paul Juda had written on his whiteboard as he prepared for the Paris grind. And boy, did his manifestation weave magic! The American gymnast did fulfill his dream as he was named in the Team USA roster that would compete in Paris. Now that Juda has achieved his goal, he can very well soak in all the glory. But his path to the Olympics was not at all easy. Competing at the Tokyo trials, Juda failed to make the cut.

However, he did not give up and is now enjoying the fruits of his hard work. But Juda could have followed an easier path to tick his whiteboard checklist. Born to immigrants, Paul Juda had the opportunity to represent a different country. He had the opportunity to potentially ease through the competition to earn an Olympic berth. So why did he not do it? 

Paul takes pride in being an American

Paul Juda was born to Joseph Juda and Ewa Bacher. Both his parents immigrated from Poland to Deerfield, Illinois. Thus, if Paul wanted to, he could have competed for Poland instead of the US. But he is too proud to as an American. He wanted to take the hard path, with cutthroat competition, and represent the country where he grew up. 

Narrating some of his life experiences, Paul stated that after his failure three years back, he was distraught. Offering a way out, his girlfriend’s father proposed an alternative that would do the job. Paul reminisced, “My girlfriend’s dad said, ‘You know, Paul, why don’t you go and try to represent (Team) Poland,’ but what he didn’t get is that I would know it as a cop out.” Juda then elaborated that representing Poland would not give him the pleasure he desired. However, the athlete clarified that he meant no disrespect to the Polish athletes. 

He stressed that they were as able as the Americans, but it was hiss decision to grind for America. As per Juda, “It would be going for a goal that isn’t really scary. It would have an asterisk, and I don’t mean that with any slight to Team Poland by any means, because they are a fantastic country and a part of my identity. But I grew up in America. I was born here. I’m a U.S.-born American citizen. Born and raised here and everything, so Team USA was always the dream.” Well, now that Paul Juda has accomplished his goal, he is striving for another one. 

Juda wants to go a step further in Paris 

Moments after securing his Olympic berth, Paul Juda broke down in tears. He further detailed his whiteboard and said that he never thought this would be possible. In fact, after failing to qualify for Tokyo, Paul wanted to erase his Olympic manifestation from the board. However, all these emotions would take a 360-degree turn when Paul finished fourth with 168.850 points in the trials. 

With his initial dream fulfilled, Paul is now looking a notch higher. He is now eyeing for an Olympic medal that would surely provide the icing on the cake for him. Well, it seems Juda’s whiteboard needs to be revisited. While he must put a gigantic check on his Olympic dreams, a new phrase should be added just below it- Olympic medalist. Will it come true? We’ll wait and watch in Paris.