Following a bronze-medal-winning team performance on Monday, Paul Juda and Fred Richard took the gymnastics mat on the fifth day of the event (Wednesday) intending to foster their individual skills. It was the all-around individual finals of the Men's gymnastic events and all eyes were on Juda and Richards as they put up some strong performances during the preliminary stages of the competition.
However, as the event proceeded, things didn't turn out the way it was expected from both Juda and Richard as they finished the event finals in the 14th and 15th positions of the leaderboard with 82.197 and 82.166 points, respectively.
Apparatus-wise, Richards put up some good scores in the vault exercises, parallel bars, and horizontal bars, scoring in the high 14s and easily outscored Juda's scores in these apparatus.
Richard's score in these apparatuses includes 14.100 in vaults, 14.133 in parallel bars, and 14.400 in horizontal bars whereas Paul Juda scored 13.733 in vaults, 13.866 in parallel bars, and 13.766 in horizontal bars. Richard also secured higher points than Juda in the rings apparatus (Richard 13.600 points and Juda 13.433 points).
Even after putting in some great performances in these rotations and scoring much higher than Juda, Richards finished 0.031 below Juda because of the latter's superb performance in the pommel horse event. Juda scored a staggering 13.866 points in the apparatus while Richard had to settle for just 12.733 due to a fall he suffered during his routine.
Juda also outscored Richard in the floor exercises where he finished 0.333 points clear of Richard (Juda with 13.533 points and Richard with 13.200 points).
Fred Richard and Paul Juda help the Team USA Men's gymnastics clinch an Olympic medal after 16 years
The Team USA Men's Gymnastics team consisting of Paul Juda, Fred Richard, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscick, and Asher Homg recently clinched a third podium finish during the Men's Gymnastics team all-around finals.
Both Juda and Richard chipped in with important performances during their rotations that helped the US side clinch an Olympic medal for the first time since the US team of Raj Bhavsar, Joe Hagerty, Jonathan Horton, Justin Spring, Kai Wen Tan, and Alexander Artemev touched the same feat in Beijing, 2008.
Richards scored an impressive 14.466 points in floor exercises during the fifth rotation of the event finals whereas Juda added 14.666 during the second rotation (vaults).