It may just be a few days into competition in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but Deerfield-native and Olympic gymnast Paul Juda has quickly made a name for both himself and Team USA at this year's games.
Though Simone Biles and the women's gymnastics team captured most of the attention Tuesday with an historic performance, Juda is among two members of the resurgent men's team that will have a chance to compete individually once more.
After capturing Team USA's first team medal in men's gymnastics since the Beijing Games in 2008, Juda and Frederick Richard will compete in the men's all-around final on Wednesday.
The event will take place starting at 10:30 a.m. CT and will air live on NBC 5. Viewers can also stream the event live on Peacock.
The 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.
Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
Watch all the action from the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games live 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.
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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 Juda'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.
