‘My Body Just Didn’t Have the Energy.’ U.S. Men’s Gymnasts Struggle in All-Around at Paris Olympics

“Oh my god I did it, oh my god I did it, oh my god I did it.”

That’s what Paul Juda mouthed out loud as he was dismounting the pommel horse, his last event in the men’s gymnastics all-around final.

He wasn’t talking about winning a medal, but about making the most of competing in an Olympic all-around final. “It’s the experience of a lifetime,” said Juda, who didn’t entirely think he would be in the event at all, since teammate Brody Malone, the U.S. national all-around champion, was widely expected to compete alongside Frederick Richard. But Malone had error-filled routines in the qualification round and failed to earn one of the top 24 scores to be eligible for the all-around.

Read More: How U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team Rewrote Their Story and Reclaimed Olympic Gold

The competition centered around a battle between the two gymnasts from Japan, Daiki Hashimoto and Shinnosuke Oka, and the two Chinese gymnasts Zhang Boheng and Xiao Ruoteng. Hashimoto, the reigning Olympic all-around champion and two-time world champion, struggled in the team event and came off the pommel horse during his routine. He came off again in the all-around competition, and after six rotations, he couldn’t defend his Olympic title and finished in sixth place. "While I didn't become the Olympic champion again, I believe I still have the potential to win the Olympic title multiple times," he said following the competition. "I want to keep believing in that possibility and continue competing."

His teammate, Shinnosuke Oka, stepped in and executed six solid routines to win the gold, squeezing by China’s Zhang, who won silver, by 0.233 points and China’s Xiao, who earned bronze. Juda finished in 14th place, and Richard ended up 15th.

It’s the fourth consecutive Olympics in which a Japanese gymnast claimed the all-around title. Oka was impressive from the start, executing consistent routines as the competition unfolded, and appearing none the worse for wear after helping Japan win the team gold two days earlier. "I felt pursued rather than chasing, which drastically changed my approach to my performance," he said.

Read More: The Story Behind Simone Biles' Viral Instagram Caption Celebrating Team USA's Win

For the Americans, it was a learning opportunity. “I study their training style a lot,” Richard said. “I study the fact that their foundation in the basics in gymnastics are very high level, and when I come to these competitions, it really pushes me to go back to the gym and master the basics to get to the next level.”

Richard, the reigning world bronze medalist, was trying to repeat a podium finish in Paris. But stronger gymnasts from China than the ones who competed at last year’s world championships, where the country's highest-finishing athlete was seventh in the all-around, put a medal out of reach.

Known for his confidence and bold and ambitious predictions, Richard struggled from his first event, the pommel horse, when he broke his balance and then came off the apparatus. His routines weren’t as clean as they had been two days before when the U.S. men won the team bronze, and Richard admitted he had some things to learn about how to manage the energy required to navigate high-level competitions. “There’s a lot to learn in figuring out how in my training I can replicate recovering faster—I gave everything in the team final—and it was very worth it. But I didn’t bounce back the way I thought I would or wanted to, so it showed today.”

Juda tried not to focus on the standings and whether he would be in medal contention, but instead told himself, “I’m going to leave this experience with gymnastics that I’m super proud of.”

Like Juda, Richard realized soon after his first event that the podium wasn't likely and decided to enjoy the remainder of his Olympic experience. “I focused on staying in the moment and achieving the goal of just doing the gymnastics at the level I know, but my body just didn’t have the energy I needed to really execute on that level,” he said.

But he’s already looking toward 2028. “I’ve never had four years to really start at a good level and plan [things] out like I do from this stage to 2028,” he said. “I’m going to go back to the gym extremely hungry and I’m not satisfied with whatever place I got here. The world is always waiting for a perfect story, and unfortunately, I can’t always give them that. But I had a lot of fun this whole week of competition and I’m going to be [in gymnastics] for a while.”