‘A lot of doors have opened’
Stoughton gymnast Fred Richard looking bigger after world championship breakout
The first World Gymnastics Championships men’s team medal for the United States in a decade was within reach when Fred Richard took to the high bar last Tuesday.
After falling in the preliminary round, the Stoughton native knew he needed the routine of his life to lift his team to the medal stand. It began so well, with the 19-year-old hitting several difficult release moves: a Cassina, a Kolman, and three Tkatchev variations.
Then late in his routine, his arm began to collapse on a handstand above the bar. Of all the moves he could struggle on, it was one he has done since his days following his sister to Somersault Gymnastics down the street from his house.
“By that point in the routine, you’re still doing hard skills. You’re almost there, but you know, you have to fight super hard and not give up till the end,” said Richard. “So I thought, ‘I’m not coming off this bar no matter what. Let me fight.’ ”
In a moment that went viral on social media in the minutes that followed, Richard willed himself back up into a handstand and finished the routine with a perfect dismount. The save led the US team to the bronze medal behind Japan and China. He would follow two days later with a bronze medal in the all-around competition, the first for a US man in 13 years. Richard became the youngest American male gymnast to win a world championships medal.
Richard and his teammates left Antwerp, Belgium, as the most decorated US team at the global meet in more than a decade. In addition to Richard’s all-around medal, Khoi Young won silver medals on vault and pommel horse. It was a major achievement for a men’s program that has lagged behind its female counterparts internationally, and is a great sign for USA Gymnastics heading into next summer’s Olympics in Paris.
“We’re all very young too, so we have a lot of potential to come,” said Richard. “We’re growing quickly and growing stronger.”
The US team’s focus headed into the World Championships was on qualifying for the Olympics, needing to finish within the top 12. Richard’s preparation back at the University of Michigan, where he is a sophomore, was guided by that. He improved his landings and execution on floor exercise, which isn’t usually his calling card. Not only did those improvements help the team, his 14.6 on floor in preliminaries qualified him for last Satur
day’s final in the event.
“In my training the weeks prior, I started sticking a lot more in practice, and that started showing in the meet,” said Richard. “So I wasn’t completely surprised, but it was amazing to get to show it.”
The floor exercise final was on the second-to-last day of the championships, which are eight days long, not to mention an additional 4-5 days of practice in the host country. In the final, Richard fell on his final tumbling pass and finished eighth.
The sheer length of the world championships is double that of the US and NCAA championships Richard is used to. Luckily, he chose to attend the World University Games in China in early August, paying his own way after USA Gymnastics withdrew funding for the event. The experience competing at a lengthy meet was helpful preparation for the world championships.
Richard is now drawing from both to plan a new way to approach future meets of that length, such as world championships and next year’s Olympics.
“I figured out a good amount,” said Richard. “By my floor finals, that last day, I definitely didn’t have as much gas in the tank and it ended with me falling on my dismount. I think it comes to just eating the right foods and sleeping a lot.
“Also, while doing routines, even in high-pressure situations like qualifications, and then in team finals, I have to think, ‘Yes, it’s a really important routine, but I have to do it with all technique and not just strength because I have to preserve it for the week to come.’ ”
After flying back to Michigan, Richard also has to figure out how to preserve himself for both the NCAA and elite seasons. His coaches may limit him to one or two disciplines early on in the upcoming NCAA season to keep him healthy for the grind that begins in April: NCAA championships, US Championships, US Olympic trials, and if all goes well, July’s Olympics.
Richard has his coaches in Ann Arbor to guide him through that gauntlet, but his former coaches aren’t far away. While competing in Antwerp, he had two in the crowd: Levon Karakhanyan, his coach at Millis’s Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy, and Tom Fontecchio, his childhood coach in Stoughton. Their presence ended up being one of Richard’s favorite parts of the week.
“I’d have some nervousness before each event, but then I’d think about Tom,” said Richard. “I don’t know what it is about Tom and his personality, but it just calmed me and then I thought, ‘All right, let’s just go have fun.’ ”
It was a special debut for Richard. He knows it has vaulted him to a new stratosphere of attention, one he has sought since being a junior gymnast. His medals have introduced him to new audiences, and he hopes to capitalize on social media platforms.
He’s off to a hot start in that regard: His first post-meet video was made in conjunction with 30-time world medalist Simone Biles, where they try each others’ skills.
“A lot of doors have opened,” said Richard.