The young American men's gymnastics team, featuring almost entirely first-time Olympians, have brought home a bronze medal from the Paris Games, ending a 16-year medal drought for the US in the sport.
"It's unbelievable," exclaimed Asher Hong, a member of the team, to NBC News. "We put in so much hard work at home, and we just put our trust and belief in each other. We went out there and had fun."
Brody Malone, the only returning Olympian on the team, expressed his pride in representing the United States at the Games. "It's incredible to be representing the best country in the world," he stated. "It's an incredible feeling any time you wear USA on your chest, but especially at the Olympic Games."
Malone also praised the "phenomenal" crowd at the Bercy Arena, saying they "were backing us the whole way" and "made it really easy to go out there and slam our sets."
Paul Juda, who will compete in the individual all-around final later this week, described his near-miss on the vault, where he "completely blacked out" after a mis-step. "I hit the table, and I just said, 'alright, just hold it, just don't fall. Please don't fall. Please don't fall,'" he recalled. "Next thing I know, the ground's at my feet, and I stuck it at the Olympic Games."
Juda expressed his hope that his near-perfect routine "created the momentum that we needed... sure, looked like it," and from then on "it was just altitude and cruising, baby."
The crowd erupted when Frederick Richard stuck the landing on a risky high bar routine. He attributed his success to the support of his team and the nation. "I think about all the people behind me," he said. "I knew I had the whole US behind me. I knew I had these five guys cheering me on. And I knew I wanted to do the best routine possible for them. And when you feel that like deep in your heart, it happens, and you stick that land."
Richard will join Juda in the individual all-around final.
Stephen Nedoroscik, a specialist on the pommel horse, anchored the team's performance with a strong showing on his signature apparatus. His score ultimately secured the bronze medal for the US. Nedoroscik will also compete in the individual event final.
"I didn't know what we needed, but I knew I needed to do a good job," Nedoroscik said. "I was feeling the nerves, but right before I went, these guys told me, 'We trust you. We got your back.' And when they said that, it all kind of went away."
He then went on to execute his routine flawlessly. "I went up there, did my job," he said. "As soon as I stuck the landing, I realised: 'I think we might have just medaled, baby.'"
