Akin to Simone Biles, Paris Olympics Hopeful Fred Richard Shares Homegrown Start to Gymnastics

It seems to be fate intertwined with the paths of Simone Biles and Fred Richard. On one side of the coin, Biles was bright and bubbly child, couldn’t sit still and loved spending hours flipping and twisting on the trampoline in her grandparents’ backyard. She was interested in the day-care field trip to Bannon’s Gymnastics, at the age of six, and she trained under the tutelage of her coach, Aimee Boorman. Perfecting her game gradually, it saw compete at the elite level in 2011. Conversely, 20-year-old Fred Richard, too, is pinning badges to his lapels steadily.

Likening him to Biles, Richard too had already showed an inclination at a nascent age by watching gymnasts practicing their routines and staring up in fascination, hoping to emulate them one day with his sinews. At 19 years old, he became the youngest male gymnast in U.S. history to win a bronze medal at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, making him the first American person of color to achieve this accomplishment. However, his love for the sport is tied to his childhood home.

Fred Richard may very well be a mirror reflection of Simone Biles

Fred Richard in

an interview with Time Magazine has laid out how he got his start in the sport. His mother, Anne-Marie Richard, said, he “literally flipped out of his crib,” and also added, “He was always upside down.” A young Fred observed the gymnasts in his older sister Alexandra’s gym and was fascinated. He would imitate the moves he saw back at his parents’ house. Fred Richard said, “I tried it on my parents’ bed and landed on my head a couple of times, so my parents figured they had better put me in some classes.”

His first coach was Tom Fontecchio, who asked his parents to bring him back in a few years when he could follow instructions better. Now Richard has won the NCAA all-around title in 2024, solidifying his status as a rising star in the gymnastics world.

Simone Biles faced a crucial moment when her coach left Bannon’s Gymnastix. She was attached to her coach and hesitant about training under someone else, even if it was her mother, Nellie Biles. Nellie sold her nursing homes to fund a gym for the girls to continue training under Aimee Boorman, but the process was more challenging than expected. She shared, “I had no idea how complicated the whole process would be. It wasn’t anything like the nursing home business.” The experience was quite different from Nellie’s previous business ventures, leading her to express, “If I’d known what wе wеrе gеtting into, wе would nеvеr havе donе this.” But this challenging endeavor led to Biles becoming the unstoppable force she is today, having hosted the Simone Biles Invitational.

After Simone Biles achieved unprecedented success at the 2016 Rio Olympics, her coach Boorman told PEOPLE, “I will always be willing to coach her”,“I will be there as a mentor.” On the other hand, Richard competed at his first elite-level National Championships in 2019, finishing eighth overall but earning a bronze medal in floor exercise behind Nick Kuebler and Khoi Young. Later on, despite being younger than their peers, both quickly surpassed in skill level, mastering advanced techniques that surprised their coaches. However, they also faced setbacks, just as Biles, Richard suffered back injuries that required lengthy recoveries. How does the behemoth games look for them?

The funny banter prevailing between Richard and Biles

Fred Richard and Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast of all time have an undying bond. The talented pair have a bond that involves pulling each other’s legs. During the Covid pandemic, he started posting TikTok videos and amassed a following of 615,000. Last year after his win in the World Championships, where Richard made history by capturing a bronze in the individual all-around, he posted a video on Instagram with the caption, “playing copy with Simone Biles.” The pair tried to imitate each other’s moves in a game ‘who does it better?’ Biles attempts at flares and Richard tries to match Biles’ ‘Tour Jete’ and ‘Wolf Spin’. Richard said her Japanese handstand is, ‘almost better than me’. “That was fun,” wrote Richard in the post.

Fred Richard is all set for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Just as Simone Biles, he’s also going to give it his all. He said, “I have no problem saying that I want to win this Olympics and I want to be in the sport for 10-plus years and dominate, because that’s sports.” This summer, fans will tune in to the Games to see the powerhouse U.S. women, likely headed by Simone Biles, but Richard’s athletic prowess and personality will certainly generate some real excitement for the men’s competition too. Like Simone Biles, Fred acknowledges the significance of being a role model, particularly for young people of color within the gymnastics community.