30 American athletes to watch at the 2024 Paris Olympics

28. Fred Richard
Artistic Gymnastics

Gymnastics is one of the rare sports where the women’s game dominates the men’s game both on an international level and from a U.S. viewership perspective. That’s not changing this year. Women’s gymnastics might be the most anticipated event at the Games, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a reason to watch men’s gymnastics. Fred Richard is the number one reason to check out what the men are doing.

Richard is reportedly trying to make men’s gymnastics relevant again. Winning a gold medal in Paris would be a great step towards that goal. He barely beat Brody Malone at the U.S. Olympic trials, putting him as the head of the all-around. 

The U.S. team had an embarrassing effort in Tokyo in 2021, where Malone had the best finish in the all-around (10th) and the team finished fifth. That seems like it will change this season. Will Richard definitely win the gold? No, but he’s just 20 years old, and he’s looking to build off his bronze medal at the most recent World Championships.

This is a fun athlete to watch. He can do incredible things with his body, giving him the nickname “Fred Flips.” This is a talent that could transcend his sport with an insane performance. This is the social media generation, so one insane flip could push him to superstardom.