US men’s gymnastics ended a 16-year Olympic drought Monday by getting to the podium and securing a bronze medal.
NOTE: Spoiler alerts below. Men's gymnastics team final will re-air in primetime starting at 7 p.m. CT on NBC 5
Chicago-area gymnastics star Paul Juda has become a viral sensation for the men's U.S. team in recent days -- and now, he's officially and Olympic medalist. But there's still plenty more to come for the Deerfield native in Paris.
Carried by incredible performances from each member of the relatively young team, including Juda, the U.S. exceeded expectations at the 2024 Olympics Monday, finishing with a bronze medal and securing their first medal in men's gymnastics since 2008.
The team is made up of Juda, Frederick Richard, Brody Malone, Asher Hong and Stephen Nedoroscik. On Monday, they finished with a score of 257.793, narrowly falling below China and Japan, widely considered top medal favorites for the event, but who both suffered major falls.
Juda continued to surprise and awe in the team final event at the 2024 Paris Olympics Monday.
The 23-year-old Deerfield native managed to flawlessly complete a critical vault routine for Team USA, before executing a solid routine on bars and floor.
Local
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
But this won't be the end of the Olympic road for Juda, who now heads into a challenge he never anticipated he'd face in Paris -- the individual all-around.
After a stellar performance Saturday, Juda became one of the two US. contenders for the individual all-around medals, topping U.S. star and teammate Brody Malone, who suffered numerous falls and shattered his chances at individual medals in what was expected to be an inspiring and incredible comeback following a devastating injury.
“Of course I'm upset with myself,” Malone said. “But at the same time, I'm extremely happy for Fred and Paul. I know they're going to crush it.”
Here's what to know and when you can see him compete again:
When do Paul Juda and other members of men's US gymnastics team compete at the Olympics?
Wednesday, July 31 - The men's gymnastics all-around final will take place starting at 10:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday, July 31. The event will air live on NBC 5, and streaming on Peacock. Paul Juda and Fredrick Richard will compete.
Remaining men's gymnastics schedule includes:
Saturday, Aug. 3 - The men's gymnastics floor exercise final will take place at 9:30 a.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 3. The event will air live on E! and streaming on Peacock.
Saturday, Aug. 3 - The men's pommel horse final will be held at 10:16 a.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 3. The event will air live on E! and streaming on Peacock.
Sunday, Aug. 4 - The men's rings final will be held at 8 a.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 4. The event will air live on NBC 5 and streaming on Peacock.
Sunday, Aug. 4 - The men's vault final will be held at 9:24 a.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 4. The event will air live on NBC 5a and streaming on Peacock.
Monday, Aug. 5 - The men's parallel bars final takes place at 4:45 a.m. CT on Monday, Aug. 5. The event will air live on E! and streaming on Peacock.
Monday, Aug. 5 - The men's horizontal bar final will take place at 6:33 a.m. CT on Monday, Aug. 5. The event will air live on E! and streaming on Peacock.
What to know about Paul's next event
Tasked with serving as the leadoff on five of the six events for the five-man American team Saturday — a spot reserved for gymnasts known more for their consistency and reliability than anything — Juda put together an all-around total of 82.865 that was good enough to earn a berth in the all-around finals next week.
“I think today could have been one of those things where I got to say, ‘I did all- around at the Olympics’ (and that's it),” Juda said. “But then to hopefully be making an all-around final, I think that’s the cooler thing."
He'll be joined by teammate Frederick Richard, though the definition of “crushing it” may differ for the two Michigan teammates.
Richard, 20, is the reigning bronze medalist on the all-around who mixes big skills with a big personality.
Juda is more measured. High performance director Brett McClure put Juda in the leadoff spot because his gymnastics are a little safer, with the idea being that if Juda avoids mistakes it will provide a solid foundation that allows those who come after a little more freedom to go for it.
“He wanted to go up with a hit routine and kind of set the momentum for everybody else,” McClure said. “So he did his job.”
Juda won't be favored to finish on the podium. He knows that. His scores have a ceiling. It hardly matters. He will compete in the biggest meet of his life in front of friends and family who have backed him every step of the way.
“People would kill for that,” he said. “And so I'm just like, going to try and enjoy it as much as possible because I know if it wasn’t me, somebody else would do it.”
Who is Paul Juda?
The 23-year-old is from Deerfield, Illinois, and is the son of two Polish immigrants.
He graduated from Adlai E. Stevenson Highschool in 2019 and now attends University of Michigan, where he is studying psychology and is expected to graduate in 2025.
He began gymnastics as a child in 2007.
"I was always a very energetic kid. I would always either be upside down or jumping around my house. People suggested that I join gymnastics and ever since I began I fell involve with the sport," Juda told USA Gymnastics.
Juda's two other siblings also tried the sport, but did not take to it in the same way.
His favorite events now are highbar and the floor.
Juda has been eyeing an Olympic appearance for years, having narrowly missed the team in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
He went viral last month when he broke down in tears after being named to Team USA.
"I was the first name called, and the second I heard 'Pa—,' I started crying right away," Juda said.
What else to know about Paul Juda
There was a time earlier this year when reaching Paris seemed like a long shot for Juda. The native of the northern Chicago suburbs went through a stretch where his gymnastics were “horrible” and he pondered shifting his focus away from making the Olympic team.
A pep talk from girlfriend Reyna Guggino helped him turn things around. She told him it was OK to make the Olympics a priority. To attack the opportunity rather than shrink from it.
And there was Guggino, also a gymnast at Michigan, yelling from the stands on Saturday as Juda put together six routines that weren't the best gymnastics of his life but were good enough to earn the second American spot in the all-around after three-time national champion Brody Malone faltered.
