The United States is making its mark across various events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, yet gymnastics stands out as one of the most captivating sports. While much of the spotlight often shines on the US Women’s National Team, mainly due to the legendary Simone Biles, it’s the US Men’s National Team that has made headlines this time by clinching a medal for the first time in 16 years.
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The USMNT proudly took home the bronze medal in Artistic Gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Finishing with a total score of 257.793, the U.S. team placed third behind silver medalists China, who scored 259.062, and gold medalists Japan with 259.594.
China fell just shy of gold by a mere 0.532 points, while the U.S. trailed them by 1.801 points. Interestingly, the U.S. also came close to snagging silver but was edged out by China, who held a score advantage of 1.269.
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One of the U.S. team’s standout events was the pommel horse, where they achieved an impressive score of 44.032, just behind Great Britain’s score of 44.466.
The horizontal bars also proved to be a successful event for the USMNT, as they scored 42.365, trailing Japan, who led with 43.565.
Stephen Nedoroscik was instrumental in securing the bronze, posting a remarkable score of 14.866 on the pommel horse, matching Japan’s Takaaki Sugino. Great Britain’s Max Whitlock topped that event with a score of 15.266.
It’s been a challenging journey for the USMNT, having finished fifth in the last three Summer Olympics and even securing fifth in the qualifying round held just before this competition.
Nedoroscik stepped up as the pommel horse expert, contributing significantly to the team’s overall score with his stellar performance.
Teammates Paul Juda and Asher Hong also played crucial roles in earning the bronze. Hong tallied an impressive 14.833 on the vault, with Juda closely following at 14.666.
Additionally, Frederick Richard matched Hong’s score of 14.833 on the horizontal bars, further boosting the team’s chances of earning their much-anticipated medal since 2008.
Brody Malone was projected to compete for an all-around medal but faced some tough challenges during the qualifiers. He later expressed his regret to his team and worked to improve his performance.
In individual events, Malone scored 14.166 on the rings, 14.533 on the vault, 14.433 on the parallel bars, and 14.166 on the horizontal bars.
Despite the hurdles, Malone and the USMNT remained determined, ultimately leading them to a well-deserved bronze medal.