The U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials continue tonight for the men at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Frederick Richard led Brody Malone heading into the second day of competition while Shane Wiskus was third, followed by Paul Judah and Asher Hong. Simone Biles and the women are back in action Sunday night
USA TODAY Sports’ Nancy Armor and Tom Schad will provide live updates, results and analysis throughout the trials. Follow along.
Frederick Richard secures Olympic spot
MINNEAPOLIS — Frederick Richard has been selected for the Olympics. Now all that’s left is to see who will join him.
Richard edged out Brody Malone to win the Olympic Trials on Saturday, finishing 0.2 points ahead of the three-time American champion. Richard finished with 170.5 points.
However, this was not enough to get Richard to Paris. According to the selection procedures, the winner of the trials would only earn a spot if he finished in the top three on three or more events. Which Richard did, finishing first on the high bar, second on the parallel bars and third on the floor exercise.
The men’s selection committee uses a convoluted algorithm to determine the rest of the five-man team, using a combination of scores from the trials and the U.S. championships. So while Malone, Shane Wiskus, Paul Judah and Asher Hong round out the top five, none of them are guaranteed a spot on the Paris team.
The selection committee is currently meeting and is expected to name the team within half an hour.
Khoi Young bounces on her pommel horse
MINNEAPOLIS — After falling off the pommel horse not once but twice Thursday night, Khoi Young desperately needed a routine specific to the apparatus Saturday. And he got it, even if it might not be enough to get him back on the Olympic team.
Young minimized his errors and recorded a score of 14.250 on pommel horse, tying Paul Juda for the best non-specialist score of the day on that apparatus. He found himself tied for eighth with one rotation remaining.
Frederick Richard and Brody Malone now occupy first and second place respectively, at the start of the last rotation, exactly where they were expected. The three men behind them, Shane Wiskus, Judah and Asher Hong, are both in good position for an Olympic berth as the trials draw to a close.
Frederick Richard leads after three events
MINNEAPOLIS – Frederick Richard can start packing his bags for Paris.
The winner of the trials automatically locks their spot on the Olympic team if they also place in the top three in three or more events. Well, with two rotations remaining, Richard is both first overall and in the top three in three events. He placed first on the high bar and third on the floor exercise, and the competition was over in both events. He also has the best score on parallel bars and is in no danger of falling out of the top three even with five gymnasts still in the running.
Asher Hong remains second behind Richard, but he is more than a point off the podium and is unlikely to catch the world all-around bronze medalist. Brody Malone is third.
Stephen Nedoroscik Scores 14.850 on Pommel Horse
MINNEAPOLIS — On a five-member team, could the United States really bring an athlete who competes in only one event? That’s the question after Stephen Nedoroscik posted a 14.850 in his only event of the day, the pommel horse.
The difficulty score in Nedoroscik’s routine on Saturday was well below what he is capable of, but it was a bit ahead of what the other likely members of the U.S. team can do, with the exception of Khoi Young. His presence on the team would address a weakness, but could also cripple the United States if anyone else gets injured or opts out. It’s a big decision, and one that could ultimately be made automatically by the selection committee’s procedures, which allow a team combination to be locked in if it proves mathematically superior to other options.
Meanwhile, Frederick Richard remains atop the overall standings through three rotations, followed by Asher Hong and Brody Malone.
Frederick Richard set the bar very high
MINNEAPOLIS – Frederick Richard isn’t just looking to win the Olympic trials.
He is trying to make a statement.
Richard, the all-around bronze medalist at last year’s world championships, extended his lead by setting the bar high. The crowd whooped and aahed as he made big free-falls, and he roared as he landed. His score of 14.45 was the highest ever on the event and reassuring for the American men, for whom the high bar is one of the weakest events.
Richard scored 114.850 points after two events, one point ahead of Asher Hong. Shane Wiskus continues to wow the home crowd and remains in contention for a spot on the five-man team.
National champion Brody Malone is fifth, but he just finished one of his weakest events, floor exercise. It should rise again during the last four events.
Khoi Young shines on vault at US trials
MINNEAPOLIS – It’s going to be a big afternoon for Khoi Young, and he couldn’t have asked for a better start.
From the first jump of the day, the reigning vice-world champion on this event improved his scores from the first day of selections and the two days of national championships, recording a 15.100 with a near-perfect execution score (9.50 out of 10). This did not help him much in the general classification of the two days, where he is 11th, but it can only improve his chances of returning to the Olympic table.
Young’s Stanford teammate Asher Hong also posted an impressive score on vault (15.250) to start the day, while Frederick Richard extended his lead with a strong performance on parallel bars. Defending national champion Brody Malone slipped to third after an uncharacteristic fall on one of his best pieces of apparatus, the high bar.
When will Simone Biles compete in the US Olympic gymnastics trials?
Simone Biles competed on Friday evening, the first evening of competition for the senior women. Sunday evening, Biles will debut on vault, with her first attempt around 8:20 p.m. ET. She will then move on to the uneven bars and the beam before concluding on the floor.
WE Olympic gymnastics tryouts schedule 2024
The senior men will compete again on Saturday night after starting on Thursday. The women were in action on Friday and will compete again on Sunday.
How to watch the Olympic gymnastics trials in the United States
The decisive Saturday and Sunday sessions will be broadcast on NBC. The channel will also broadcast minute-by-minute events on its streaming service, Peacock, where it will offer both a general feed and device-specific feeds for viewers hoping to follow a particular athlete.
United States Olympic Gymnastics Trials TV program
- Saturday, 3:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET: Men’s Competition, Day 2 (NBC, Peacock)
- Sunday, 8:10 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET: Women’s Competition, Day 2 (NBC, Peacock)
Simone Biles’ Gold Over America Tour Welcomes Brody Malone
MINNEAPOLIS — Brody Malone is joining Simone Biles’ tour.
Malone’s name was added to the Gold Over America Tour gymnasts roster, joining Frederick Richard and Casimir Schmidt of the Netherlands. No male gymnasts were on the tour after the Tokyo Olympics, with Biles telling The Associated Press she wanted the focus to be on women’s empowerment.
“This time we’re like, ‘OK, it worked but let’s do it a little differently, invite men,'” she said.
The 30-city tour begins September 17 and runs through November 3.
Who will make the U.S. men’s Olympic gymnastics team?
If Brody Malone has a similar qualifying performance to what he did at the U.S. championships in early June, he’ll be on his way to Paris. Same goes for Fred Richard, who finished second at nationals, first on floor exercise and second on high bar. Khoi Young was on the verge of making the team with a strong qualifying performance, but he had a disastrous outing on day one.
Contenders include Tokyo Olympians Yul Moldauer and Shane Wiskus; Paul Juda, a member of last year’s world team; and Donnell Whittenburg, a two-time world medalist and 2016 alternate. Also keep an eye on Cameron Bock, Colt Walker and Asher Hong.
If the selection committee decides he’s strong enough elsewhere but needs a big score on pommel horse, they could opt for Stephen Nedoroscik, the 2021 world champion on the event; or Patrick Hoopes.
Where are the 2024United States Olympic gymnastics selections?
The American gymnastics trials take place at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
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Mike Tirico will anchor NBC’s coverage and Terry Gannon (play-by-play) will be joined by analysts Tim Daggett, Samantha Peszek and John Roethlisberger on the call.
Khoi Young and hisstruggles toUnited States Olympic Gymnastics Trials
Khoi Young was considered a lock for this Olympic team, the best American non-specialist on pommel horse and a rare American medalist in that event at the world championships.
But he has now dismounted twice in three nights of competition at the U.S. championships and Olympic trials. His 11.65 Thursday night, after being eliminated twice during his routine, was the worst score of the competition in the event.
Young, the reigning NCAA champion, also struggled on the high bar and is still ringing, and finds himself in 12th place tonight. The only event he has done well in is the vault, where he is the reigning world silver medalist. His score of 14.95 was the highest score of Thursday night’s event.
Frederick Richard at the US Olympic Gymnastics Trials
Frederick Richard let out a big smile as he left the arena Thursday night, pumping his fists. Richard, the reigning world bronze medalist, had reason to celebrate. His stunning floor routine had just put him atop the overall standings after the first night of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials with a score of 85.600, narrowly ahead of three-time national champion Brody Malone.