U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials Recap: Fredrick Richard pips Brody Malone to take the lead in the all-around | Day 1

The first day of action at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials yielded some surprises for fans. Fredrick Richard, the all-around bronze medalist at the World Championships, currently sits atop the ranking charts after the opening rounds of the competition.

While Richard was very much a favorite to make the team going into the Trials at Minneapolis, it was Brody Malone who was expected to top the all-around rankings.

Returning from a dislocated knee, fractured tibia, and several torn ligaments that he sustained during March of 2023, Malone has been on a comeback journey for the history books. At the U.S Gymnastics Championships in May earlier this year, the 24-year-old was crowned champion upon his return with an all-around score of 172.300.

Now, after the first day of competition at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, Malone sits second in the rankings despite leading for the first half, with Fredrick Richard in the top spot.

The 2023 NCAA gold medalist in the all-around, parallel, and horizontal bars, was absolutely sensational on the floor, posting a score of 14.7. On the other hand, Malone impressed on the parallel bars and vault, scoring 14.75 and 14.6 respectively. Both remain heavy favorites to make the team.

In a surprising turn of events at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, Khoi Young failed to make the top ten after the first day of action. The youngster, who was another shoo-in for the team, slipped off twice on his specialty event, the pommel horse. He also failed to complete an element in the high bar. However, Young somewhat redeemed himself on the vault, scoring a 14.95 to take the lead.

U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials: Full results from Thursday, June 27

Here are the full results from day one of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials

All-Around

1. Frederick Richard - 85.6

2. Brody Malone - 85.1

3. Shane Wiskus - 84.3

4. Paul Juda - 84.15

5. Asher Hong - 83.7

6. Yul Moldauer - 83.7

7. Cameron Bock - 83.45

8. Fuzzy Benas - 83.1

9. Donnell Whittenburg - 80.95

10. Colt Walker - 80.6

Floor Exercise

1. Frederick Richard - 14.7

2. Paul Juda - 14.6

3. Shane Wiskus - 14.35

3. Asher Hong - 14.35

5. Yul Moldauer - 14.2

Parallel Bars

1. Curran Phillips - 15.6

2. Yul Moldauer - 15.15

3. Frederick Richard - 15.05

4. Colt Walker - 14.85

5. Brody Malone - 14.75

Pommel Horse

1. Stephen Nedoroscik - 14.45

1. Patrick Hoopes - 14.45

3. Paul Juda - 14.05

4. Cameron Bock - 14

5. Shane Wiskus - 13.55

Still Rings

1. Alex Diab - 14.6

2. Asher Hong - 14.45

3. Brody Malone - 14.25

4. Donnell Whittenburg - 14.15

5. Shane Wiskus - 13.95

Vault (One Vault Score)

1. Khoi Young - 14.95

2. Brody Malone - 14.6

3. Yul Moldauer - 14.5

4. Curran Phillips - 14.4

4. Shane Wiskus - 14.4

Brody Malone on his opening day at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials

2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials – Gymnastics - Day 1

While his second-place finish in the all-around doesn't hurt his chances of making the team that heads to the Paris Olympics, Brody Malone still wasn't happy with his opening day at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials.

Speaking to media after the race, Malone emphasized that some nerves got in the way of him performing at the level he wanted to, saying (via USA Today),

"Wasn't the best meet I've ever had, but I got through everything. A little rough, little shaky, some nerves out there. I think everyone was a little bit like that. I'm glad to have it under my belt and I'm looking forward to day two.”

He went on to address that despite having competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games, the Trials still brought out the performance pressure, as this would be one of the biggest competitions of his and his fellow gymnasts’ lives.

"For a lot of us, it's the biggest competition of our lives. All the guys out there that haven't made the Olympics before, this is their ticket to go. So of course the nerves are going to be going crazy. Even us that have been to the Olympics before, we want to go again. The nerves are still there, for sure.”

Brody Malone originally led the all-around rankings at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials for the first four rotations. The American looked solid on the vault and high bar, but a lukewarm performance on the pommel horse cost him the lead. He will be back in action on Saturday, June 29 in a bid to finalize his berth at his second consecutive Olympic Games.