US gymnast Frederick Richard already has sights set on 2028 Olympics: 'I’m not satisfied'

PARIS — The storybook ending for U.S. gymnast Frederick Richard would've had him standing on the podium after the men's gynastics all-around final at Wednesday night at Bercy Arena, flashing a wide grin with another medal hanging from his neck.

"(But) the perfect story is kind of boring sometimes, you know what I mean?" he said.

The reality of an athlete's career is often far more messy, and complicated. And for Richard, the 20-year-old reigning world bronze medalist, it meant that instead of standing on the podium Wednesday night, he left the floor having finished squarely in the middle of the pack. In his final event at the 2024 Paris Olympics , the all-around final, he placed 15th out of 24, one spot behind his college teammate, Paul Juda .

Richard said a "weird slip" led to a fall on his first event of the night, pommel horse. And by his fourth event, parallel bars, his body was tired enough that he felt he had to remove a skill from his routine just to be able to get through it cleanly. On this night, he said, he just didn’t have the energy.

"The thing about gymnastics is sometimes you feel tired but you say, 'Hey, I can use technique and make it through,'" he explained. "Then there’s a point where you realize it’s not coming together the way you want it to."

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And so, the Michigan sophomore is moving on. He told reporters less than an hour after competing that he is already "100%" looking ahead to the next Summer Olympics, in 2028 in Los Angeles.

"I’m going to go back to the gym extremely hungry. I’m not satisfied with whatever place I got here," Richard said.

"I never had four years to really start at a good level and plan out the next four years, like I do from this stage to 2028. I feel like I know everything I need to do, and I’m really excited to get back to the gym and make those big leaps."

Richard has previously talked about not just wanting to become the best in his sport but transcend it. He said in the leadup to these Games that he wants to be the Michael Jordan of men's gymnastics − the athlete who becomes a star and takes the whole sport with him.

And over the past few years, he's certainly shown flashes. He squeezed his way onto the all-around podium at the 2023 world championships, becoming the first American man since 2010 to medal at the event. He edged Brody Malone to win at the U.S. Olympic trials. And then, on Monday, his competed in four events at the Olympic team final and put up several big-time scores that were instrumental in helping the Americans win bronze .

"He’s said that he wants to be the best in the world and he’s putting in the work to back it up," Michigan and Team USA assistant coach Jordan Gaarenstroom said later that night. "This kid lives in the gym. He’s got shoes in the gym that he keeps in the gym. He sleeps in the gym. It’s crazy."

Richard said he "gave everything" in the team final, even while knowing he had the individual all-around roughly 48 hours later. The team medal, which was Team USA's first in men's gymnastics in 16 years, is something he'll always be grateful for − the type of moment that will bring more eyeballs to the sport and, he hopes, fuel its growth.

But Richard said there are lessons to be taken from failures, too. As he watched Japanese wunderkind Shinnosuke Oka win gold Wednesday night, with Chinese gymnasts Boheng Zhang and Ruoteng Xiao right behind, he saw what he needs to do − and change − between now and 2028 to get where they are.

"I think the biggest lesson is when I’m really on that day, there’s not that much of a gap. But when I’m not on, there’s a big gap," Richard said. "The guys that medaled today, some of them, they did average. They didn’t do amazing. And that’s the next level − not needing a perfect day to medal, but getting to an average day and still being able to medal."

The Massachusetts native said he'll spend the rest of these Games enjoying the Olympic experience − and posting about it on TikTok and Instagram, where he has built massive followings. He has plans to see U.S. athletes compete in track and field, boxing, skateboarding and basketball. And he'll, of course, be on hand to cheer for pommel horse finalist Stephen Nedoroscik, the only American man to make an apparatus final.

Then, Richard said, he'll go home and get back in the gym. He'll start mapping out the next four years. Los Angeles will be here before long.

"The world’s always waiting for a perfect story, and unfortunately I can’t always give them that," Richard said. "But I had a lot of fun this whole week of competition. And I’m going to be here a while. That’s all I know."

Contributing: Dave Birkett

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US gymnast Frederick Richard already has sights set on 2028 Olympics: 'I’m not satisfied'