In most cases, athletes have a very small window of opportunity to make their mark. Likewise, for the ten-time NCAA gold medalist Brody Malone, his shot at glory on the biggest stage might have come too late in his career. But he seems to have high hopes for an extended time in professional gymnastics beyond his second Olympic Games.

In a recent episode of The NeuFit Undercurrent Podcast, Malone talked about how he’s trying to stay in shape, despite often being considered “old” by the gymnastics fraternity. He said that his return to the grandest stage will have to be decided upon after the conclusion of the Paris Games.

“…it depends a lot on how my knee feels after this whole process,” Malone said when the interviewer asked him about his plans after the current Olympic cycle. With the 2028 Olympics scheduled to be hosted by the USA, Malone might not want to let the occasion slip by to showcase his skills in front of his home crowd either. And yet, he also noted that a final verdict on his decision is yet to be concluded. “I haven’t really decided yet, to be honest,” confessed the 2024 US Gymnastics Championships All-Around winner.

At the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, Malone placed tenth all over but has been in stellar form in recent months. A stunning 172.3 in the US Championships, followed up by an equally impressive 170.300 at the Olympic Team Trials should give the former Stanford Cardinal star the confidence he needs to face his opponents in Paris.

However, while speculations about his career after the rumble in Paris is over or the possibility of seeing Malone in the red, blue, and white stripes at the LA28 might already be doing the rounds, it should be worth remembering that his journey up till this point hasn’t been easy either.

Bordy Malone can look to his colleagues for inspiration to defy age

In March last year, Brody was dealt a hard blow to the guts. While performing the same high bar routine that earned him the 2022 World Championships gold at the 2023 World Cup event in Germany, Malone suffered a botched dismount that resulted in several horrid injuries. “I ended up landing really funky and dislocating my knee and fracturing my tibial plateau., tore my medial meniscus. Tore my LCL, posterior lateral corner and partially tore my PCL,” said Brody about the incident.

However, the gymnast’s coach Syque Caesar, and father joined hands to help the NCAA celebrity recover from the setback. Noting how the medical staff extended their relentless help during his recovery process, Brody also hailed his father as “a rock” in his life. Now that it’s obvious that his days of watching his mates from the sidelines are over, it should also serve as a reminder to Brody that opportunities can show up at any time.

On the debate of the age of athletes, Simone Biles, the 27-year-old Olympian, and multiple-time gold medalist, was crowned the All-Around women’s champion at the US Team Trials. Biles also won the top spot at both the Core Hydration Classic and the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships. With these triumphs, Biles is also the reigning world champion and is set to reclaim her throne in Paris in a few weeks’ time. Women’s basketball icon Diana Taurasi will also be appearing for her sixth Olympic Games at the age of 42.

While these athletes should serve as a testament that age is just a number when it comes to proving one’s worth, Brody will have to come up with his own game plan to make sure his name becomes a part of the elite gymnastics lore in the country and beyond. And Paris is the perfect stage.