When the US Olympics trials men’s gymnastics score flashed Fred Richard 170.500, the stir among the audience was palpable. With the likes of Shane Wiskus and Brody Malone as hot favorites to win first place, the University of Michigan athlete came in as a surprise. At 20 years, beating the likes of Brody Malone at the Olympic trials is no mean feat. And surely, Richard did have a serious list of accomplishments to back his Olympic qualification. 

Specializing in artistic gymnastics, Richard won the all-around bronze in the 2023 Worlds. The year further became one of his milestone years when Richard clinched a total of 5 NCAA medals, including 3 golds. While he could not continue his golden run in 2024, Richard was in no way, underperforming. The 20-year-old displayed some exquisite moves to win three silver medals in the all-around, still rings, and Team. And now, carrying the hopes of an entire nation, Fred Richard has revealed his dreams going forward in the future. 

Fred Richard wants a Tiger Woods style introduction 

Fred Richard recently sat down with PEOPLE for an exclusive interview. Navigating through a number of topics, the young gymnast was asked about his goals in Paris. Richard, oozing confidence, mentioned that his primary aim was to make the world recognize who he was. The 20-year-old also wanted to leave a lasting impact so that the world would tag him as the ‘next big thing in gymnastics’. 

Richard also had a unique idea of introducing himself to the world. Taking a cue from the legendary golfer Tiger Woods, Richard told PEOPLE, “It’s kind of like my, ‘Hello world.’ I got that from Tiger Woods. It’s kind of just telling the world that you are going to be something special.” For the uninitiated, ‘Hello World’ is synonymous with Tiger Woods, as that’s what his first words were immediately after his debut. 

Tiger Woods made his professional golfing debut back in 1996 at the Greater Milwaukee Open. Woods put up a decent performance and was tied for 60th while earning $2544. However, it was his press conference that made history. Interacting with the media, Tiger Woods introduced himself, saying, “I guess, hello world, huh?” The phrase soon became etched into sporting history forever as Woods became a legend of golf. The phrase was taken up by Nike in an ad campaign that got a three-page feature in the Wall Street Journal. Well, Tiger Woods did it. But making a similar bold claim, can Fred Richard replicate the feat? The young gymnast looks pretty confident, though. 

Fred Richard aiming to back his ‘big talks’

“You’re supposed to talk big, you’re supposed to challenge yourself”. That was Fred Richard speaking on a March afternoon at his gym in Michigan. Back then, Richard did not know that he would be the youngest member to take the flight to Paris 2024. But the confidence that the youngster showed spoke volumes about his zeal and hunger to succeed. Richard 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,”

As a matter of fact, Richard’s ascension to the top will play a pivotal role in Team USA’s success. The last time an US artistic gymnast won an individual Olympic medal was Danell Leyva in 2012. Cut to 2024, riding on the back of Richard, Malone, and Wiskus, the US fans are heavily banking on the trio to bring home the Olympic glory back.