The United States had the dry run in men’s gymnastics in the past three Olympics, but the luck turned in Paris with the help of two guys from Massachusetts.
Frederick Richard from Stoughton, Mass., and Stephen Nedoroscik from Worcester, Mass., both brought home bronze medals in the men’s team final on Monday. Team USA nailed a team score of 257.793, stepping behind Japan, bagging gold, and China, taking silver.
Richard aced his performances on the parallel bars, the horizontal bar, and the floor, emerging as the team’s high scorer. On the other hand, Nedoroscik entered Paris as a pommel horse specialist and nailed a near-perfect performance to clinch a medal for the United States. The 26-year-old from Worcester Technical High School left everyone awestruck, earning the title of “pommel horse guy” from fans on social media, along with a flurry of memes.
Team USA’s bronze medal in the team final marks the USA’s first Olympic medal since Beijing in 2008.
“It’s still sinking in, but it feels surreal,” Richard shared, as per The Boston Globe’s Tara Sullivan. “We’re making history. All of us. It’s unbelievable to think about. I remember looking at pictures of past Olympic medaling teams in my gym, thinking, ‘What if I could be one of them one day?’
Richard and Nedoroscik will take the stage again in Wednesday’s all-around final among 24 gymnasts.
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