All hail the new captain of the ship! The Bercy Arena in Paris just witnessed history being created on July 29. Amidst roars of applause, Team USA (257.793) welcomed their bronze medal in the men’s artistic gymnastics team finals. One that came home to them for the first time after 2008. However, for one of the gymnasts, this victory appears a tad more special. And that is Fred Richard, who has broken new ground with this triumph.

By clinching the Olympic medal, Richard registered a new milestone moment. He smashed through a 128-year-long drought in the history of American gymnastics. Yes, Fred Richard’s bronze in Paris makes him the first male black gymnast from the United States of America to win a medal in 128 years. Well, this feat seems like a commendable bonus, as the possibility of him bagging another medal still lies open in the all-around finals.

After his win, it sunk in. Richard reminisced that, from hearing of the dream to actually living it, he has come a long way. He told People.com, “Were told all our lives, the American dream, you know, you have a dream and you give everything every day toward it and eventually it comes true.” And how, “We all are always waiting to see if that’s really true.” Until this occasion arrived, and it made all his efforts feel worth it.

“But I’m standing here with a medal around my neck after going to the gym everyday for hours and hours and giving everything, and it’s like the universe paid you back,” he further added. “I’m living the American dream!” Well, Richard had previously stated that Olympic gymnastics and winning gold were his first priorities. But he also wants to work towards opening up possibilities for getting more black athletes into the sport. He described a time when he was the only black kid in his gym as something he would like to change.

Thus, his plans are far from over. There is much that Fred Richard still wants to achieve in the gymnastics arena.

Fred Richard dreams of revolutionizing men’s gymnastics

Fred Richard has an innate desire. He wants to make men’s gymnastics as popular as the women’s version, hoping to steer a larger crowd of spectators toward the sport. Speaking to MLive, he opened up about using his social media following to reach a broader audience to watch men’s gymnastics. Toward this end, his online persona, ‘Frederick Flips’ comes in handy. Posting snippets of his tactful tumbles and flips, he grew his following to 675.4K on Instagram. But his plan is larger than that.

Questioning himself once, “What do I want to be known as, known for? Well, the answer almost immediately followed. “I do a lot of flips. I do crazy flips. Not just what I’m competing but I’m like the kid that does crazy challenges. flipping over anything- people, things whatever.” Indeed, he did flip to the entirely uncharted side of gymnastics today, one that slotted him in as a pioneer.

But today may be the day that only marks the beginning. With his newly-inked name in the record books of American gymnastics, Fred Richard won’t be surprised if his vision for snowballs becomes an actual possibility for male gymnasts. What do you think of his achievement? Let us know below.