NOTE: Spoiler alert below. Men's gymnastics qualifications will air again in primetime starting at 7 p.m. on NBC 5
Suburban Chicago-native Paul Juda nearly wrote off becoming an Olympian prior to securing his ticket to Paris. Now, he's quickly become a name to watch at the 2024 Paris Games and is taking the gymnastics world by storm with more than just his skills.
Juda quickly became one of the top athletes in the U.S. men's gymnastics team, topping longtime favorite Brody Malone, who struggled in a rough first showing.
Now, Juda could be one of two U.S. athletes to compete in the men's individual all-around competition, a position that was expected to be filled by Malone and Frederick Richard.
Here's what to know about the suburban gymnastics star:
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.
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"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 did he do at the Paris Games?
In a shocking turn of events, Juda could take on a new role for Team USA in men's gymnastics at the 2024 Olympics.
The suburban Chicago native nailed his routines during the men's qualification round Saturday in Paris, topping U.S. favorite Brody Malone, who was expected to be the team's biggest medal contender, but fell in multiple events in a disappointing showing.
Only two athletes from each country can compete in the individual all-around finals.
Malone, alongside Frederick Richard, was expected to compete for the U.S., marking what would likely be his final competition after coming back from a devastating injury.
But Malone fell twice on high bar and once on pommel horse to scuttle his chances of returning to the all-around finals, a place that could now be held by Juda.
The Americans, who finished third at the 2023 world championships ahead of Great Britain, ultimately finished second in the subdivision at 253.229.
The U.S. arrived in Paris believing it had a legitimate chance to medal in the team competition for the first time since earning a bronze in Beijing 16 years ago.
Juda could now be at the heart of that effort.
The 23-year-old had an all-around total of 82.865, which was fourth among early qualifiers, trailing only Richard and Great Britain's Jake Jarman and Joe Fraser.
Juda entered the competition considered a clean, but not explosive contender. He left a standout competitor who "knocked it out of the park."
Juda's amazing reactions
Juda's reactions were once again at the center of his debut performance as an Olympian.
The young athlete was fired up after his performances in Paris, excitedly reacting to each finish with a cheer or a fist pump in the air.
In an interview shortly after his finish, he called it the "experience of lifetime" and said his "heart was racing."
He was praised for his palpable joy and excitement -- even when it came to cheering on his teammates.
“Its not a one-man journey," he emphatically told NBC Chicago before the Games began.
His goal entering the Games was to help lift the U.S. to a team medal -- and that could still happen.
“Anything after that is gravy,” Juda said at the time.
Now he has the chance for even more, but his focus remains on his team.
"All I can think about is team right here ... This is American culture, brother love... we bonded and today we showed."
He nearly missed his Olympic chance
Prior to securing his spot in Paris, Juda had nearly written off his goal of becoming an Olympic athlete.
"I'm really glad that I wrote on my whiteboard ‘Become an Olympian,'" Juda said last month. "I had fell short on a couple other goals that I wrote on that whiteboard and I was starting to think if I should erase the one that said Olympian because I guess maybe it won't come true. But I’m going home and I’m putting a massive check mark on there, and I'm glad that it went there, that I kept it there."
Who are Juda's parents?
Sitting in the stands in Paris was a fan section for Juda, made up of his family and loved ones.
Among them, were his parents Ewa Bacher and Jozef Juda, holding makeshift signs of their son's face and wearing tattoos of their son's image as they cheered, clapped and anxiously watched as their son made the most of his Olympic moment.
A first-generation American, Juda said he is forever indebted to his parents. After immigrating from Poland, they put their energetic son into the sport of gymnastics, not knowing it would change the trajectory of their lives, forever.
Juda has visited Poland and seen where his family his from. He’s even been asked if he would ever consider representing Poland on the international stage. But he’s also gained a greater understanding of what his parents gave up and the pride in their sacrifice, evident by memories like seeing his dad wear an old beaten-up shirt reading “proud American.”
“This is my heart and soul. This is my parent’s heart and soul. I’m most definitely American,” Juda told NBC Chicago.
