Hopes dashed, dreams shattered – what a crushing blow! On 31st July: Forty-eight hours after leading Team USA to a historic bronze medal in the team competition, Paul Juda and Fred Richard faced a tougher battle in the individual all-around final. And guess what? They finished 14th and 15th, like really!!. It started when Richard, 20, stumbled early with a fall on the pommel horse and struggled to match the impressive scores he had achieved during the team final.

Then, Paul Juda stepped out of bounds on his vault. With the competition so fierce, even flawless performances might not have sufficed; these errors sealed their fate. Both gymnasts fell short, as the all-around final turned into a nail-biter, with the gold medal race coming down to the wire. And Shinnosuke Oka of Japan clinched the gold, securing Japan’s fourth consecutive Olympic title in this event.

Boheng Zhang and Ruoteng Xiao of China took silver and bronze, respectively, while Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto, the reigning world champion, finished in sixth place. Despite their commendable effort in the team competition, both Juda and Richard found that the road to individual glory was paved with challenges.

Richard, the 20-year-old social media star who won an all-around bronze at last year’s Gymnastics World Championships, was seen as Team USA’s best shot at a medal. However, Paul Juda’s presence in the final was unexpected, as the U.S. had anticipated Brody Malone, but Malone’s errors during the qualifying round cost him a spot.  However, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team has not medaled in the all-around since Danell Leyva won bronze at the 2012 London Games.

Despite this solid beginning, Richard, the reigning world bronze medalist and Team USA’s best hope for an all-around medal, faced difficulties from the outset. It started with rotation 1.

Rotation 1: off to a rocky start

Richard appeared off balance from the moment he mounted the pommel horse and fell when his hand slipped during a flare. His score of 12.733 left him in 23rd place out of 24 gymnasts after the first rotation. Meanwhile, the top scores were:

• First: Great Britain’s Jake Jarman with 14.900 on the floor.
• Second: Ukraine’s Oleg Verniaiev with 14.833 on the pommel horse.
• Tied for third: Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto with 14.633 on the floor and Ukraine’s Illia Kovtun with 14.633 on the pommel horse.

Rotation 2: Fred Richard climbs back but faces an uphill battle

Frederick Richard followed up his fall on the pommel horse with a solid routine on the rings, but Paul Juda lost points on his vault due to a sideways hop out of the landing zone. By the end of the second rotation, both gymnasts were positioned towards the back of the pack. The standings after the second rotation were:

• First: Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka with 29.006
• Second: Great Britain’s Jake Jarman with 28.966
• Third: Canada’s Felix Dolci with 28.699

Rotation 3: A tough climb for Fred Richard and Paul Juda

After he fell on the pommel horse, Frederick Richard managed to perform better than his qualifying scores on both the still rings and vault. However, he still faced a significant challenge if he hoped to make a comeback for a medal. However, Richard found himself in the 22 position, among 24 competitors lagging by 2.5 points behind the current leader Shinnosuke Oka from Japan.

• First: Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka with 42.932
• Second: Ukraine’s Oleg Verniaiev with 42.766
• Third: China’s Xiao Ruoteng

Rotation 4: A narrowing path to the podium

In this round, Paul Juda scored 13.766 on the bar while Frederick Richard notched a score of 14.133 on the bars. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that the Americans will win any medals as Juda and Richard tied for the 20th position.

Rotation 5

Frederick Richard made a strong performance, on the high bar earning a score of 14.400. As the men all around final approaches its last rotation the competition is heating up with six gymnasts closely bunched at the top with a 1.1 point difference between them all vying for an Olympic medal. Shinnosuke Oka, from Japan, was led and closely pursued by Chinas Xiao Ruoteng and Zhang Boheng.

Final Results: Oka’s golden triumph amidst U.S. near misses

During the finals, Richard achieved a score of 13.200 on the floor routine bringing his points to 82.166. Juda, wrapping up his performance, on the pommel horse with a score of 13.866 accumulated a total of 82.197 points.

Shinnosuke Oka, from Japan, won the gold medal in the men’s final with a score of 86.832 narrowly beating Chinas Zhang Boheng who got silver, and Chinas Xiao Ruoteng who secured bronze. Oka’s win makes it Japan’s fourth consecutive gold in this event. Looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Games as a chance for redemption one can’t wonder; Will Frederick Richard be able to bounce and put on a strong performance in LA? Given his skills he definitely has the potential to make a comeback,