The U.S. gymnastics women’s team has been a formidable force at the Olympics even before Simone Biles’ historic Rio 2016 performance. Unfortunately, the men’s team has struggled on the Olympic stage for over 15 years. However, 20-year-old Fred Richard aims to change that at the upcoming Paris Olympics, having already given everyone a glimpse of his potential at the World Championships last year.

The star gymnast made history mere months after turning 20 at Antwerp in 2023, becoming the youngest U.S. men’s gymnast to earn an individual and all-around medal at the World Championships since 2010. Richard ended a fourteen-year drought that plagued men’s gymnastics in America. Richard won all-around gold once again at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

With a score of 170.500, Fred Richard led the pack in the all-around and won on the horizontal bar. So, when the gymnastics prodigy posted a photo in Team USA’s colors mere hours ago, the Michigan Wolverines member reminded everyone that he may have what it takes to repeat the feat at the Olympics. His caption, “Team USA looks good on me I think,” will certainly become an undeniable reality.

If Richard achieves this feat, he will become the first U.S. men’s gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal since 2008. The women’s gymnastics team racked up team golds at the 2012 London Olympics and Rio 2016, though they missed their chance at three consecutive gold winning silver in Tokyo 2020. Meanwhile, the men’s team has consistently fallen short, finishing in 5th place since 2012.

The US Men’s team last won a team Olympic medal in 2008. Alexander Artemev, Raj Bhavsar, Joseph Hagerty, Jonathan Horton, Justin Spring, and Kai Wen Tan won team bronze at the Beijing Olympics. However, Fred Richard and his teammates are brimming with confidence.

Fred Richard and the 2024 Paris squad have high hopes

While Fred Richard hopes to upgrade from 2x bronze at the 2023 World Championships to Olympic gold, his goals are not self-centric. After winning the U.S. Olympic Trails, the gymnast expressed his desire to win the elusive team medal for the USA. The 20-year-old’s four teammates also share his goal of winning medals as a team.

Fred Richard, Asher Hong, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, and Paul Juda are all in their early 20s and are hungry to prove themselves. 22-year-old Paul Juda broke down tears after making the Paris-bound men’s team and hopes to redeem himself for missing out on Tokyo 2020. 25-year-old Stephen Nedoroscik believes everyone in the team has what it takes to win Olympic gold. “This could be the Olympic games we medal in again,” Nedoroscik said after punching his ticket to Paris.

Whether Fred Richard and the young and hungry U.S. men’s gymnastics team will turn their dream into reality remains to be seen. However, you can be sure that they’ll give their all, no matter the results.