“That was pretty sick"- Fred Richard shares experience of meeting First Lady Jill Biden during qualification rounds at Paris Olympics

American gymnast Fred Richard recently shared his experience of meeting First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the Paris Olympics Qualification on Saturday. The 73-year-old paid a surprise visit to the Bercy Arena to cheer for Team USA at the gymnastics qualification. Richard and other team members did not expect to meet Biden and receive her support.

20-year-old Richard made his Olympic debut on Saturday, July 27. The two-time bronze medalist at 2023 world championship, raised hopes for an Olympic gold medal by qualifying for the men's all-around event.

Richard scored a total of 83.498 to gain the overall tenth place. He scored 13.833 in floor exercise, 13.633 in pommel horse, 13.500 in rings. 13.933 in the vault, 14.433 in parallel bars, and 14.166 on horizontal bar. His compatriot Paul Juda also made Team USA proud by qualifying in the 13th place.

The gymnasts' triumphant moment was multiplied when they discovered Jill Biden was in the arena. She interacted with Richard and the other gymnasts, congratulating them for the terrific win.

Fred Richard later talked about his interaction with the first lady. He told the reporters,

“That was pretty sick.”

He continued, saying he had not anticipated seeing her at the event.

“I mean, I did not expect today that I would meet the first lady, but I’m very thankful for the opportunity and I’m glad they're watching. I mean, that’s powerful too,” the 20-year-old Richard said.

Richard shared the complimentary remarks he got from the well-known figure.

“[She said] that she’s very proud of me and was impressed and that means a lot,” he revealed. “I wish I showed her a cooler floor routine! Today I was a little.. Yeah, but it’s alright.”

With 253.229 points, the US is currently ranked second in the all-around gymnastics event.

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Fred Richard’s promising performance at the US Olympic Trials

Richard at Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 1 - Source: Getty

Gymnast Fred Richard stunned the sports world in June by winning the gold medal in the US Olympic Trials' all-around competition. He scored 170.500 points, finishing ahead of three-time national champion Brody Malone who managed a tally of 170.300.

With his outstanding performance, he assumed the lead position on Team USA's men's gymnastics squad, which also consists of Stephen Nedoroscik, Asher Hong, Paul Juda, and Malone.

“It’s like we shouldn’t even be aiming for even just a medal,” said Richard while speaking to the Associated Press. “We should be aiming for gold and we’re going to land on something.”

Richard also placed third on the floor, ninth on the pommel horse, seventh on the rings, second on the parallel bars, and first on the high bar during the trials.

The men’s all-around final at Paris Olympics will take place on July 31.