PARIS, France (KXAN) — Team USA’s men’s gymnastics team made history Monday, securing their first Olympic medal since 2008. The event was marked by extraordinary performances, culminating in an exciting finale. KXAN’s Jala Washington caught up with Team USA after the competition.
Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, who delivered a final performance on pommel horse, recalled the decisive moment. “Yeah, I mean, the last step in the whole competition, the pressure was on. Right before I went, these guys told me, ‘We trust you, we have your back.’ It’s all I needed to hear. I went up there. I knew what I had to do. So I just went out there and did it. And as soon as I landed, that dismount and stuck it. I couldn’t get the smile off my face man. That’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
When asked about the pressure, gymnast Frederick Richard said, “I would say obviously you have pressure, but I think there was a big thing looming over us and that was opportunity. And we wanted to take that opportunity. We knew we worked really hard to seize the moment, seize the opportunity, and then that’s what we did today.”
Gymnast Brody Malone commented on the crowd’s energy, “Oh yeah, it felt kind of. I felt like Olympic trials, almost. I mean, it makes it very easy to go out and hit really good routines when you’ve got energy like that in the crowd and energy. I mean, we just fed off of it and we just made it happen, and it was awesome.”
Asher Hong described his role, “I’m always the hype, man. I just wanted to give all my energy for my boys. I mean, if I’m not competing, I’m usually cheering for my boys. It gets me excited and I hope it gets them excited and gives them energy to go and have fun just like I do cheering for them.”
Nedoroscik, had the honor of being the last competitor, ” I’m looking forward to being the exclamation point on this competition. So it was an honor and I’m very excited to have done it with all my boys.”
“Go Team USA. Proud to be an American. These guys are my everything,” exclaimed gymnast Paul Juda.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
