Fred Richard and Paul Juda Celebrate Olympic Experience Despite All-Around Results

Fred Richard and Paul Juda struggled in the artistic men’s gymnastics all-around final on July 31, but the Team USA gymnasts said their 2024 Summer Olympics experience was nothing short of incredible.

Juda, 23, finished in 14th place with a score of 82.197 while Richard, 20, finished 15th with 82.166 at the Bercy Arena in Paris. Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka won gold while China’s Zhang Boheng and Xiao Ruoteng won silver and bronze, respectively, on Wednesday.

Despite the result, Juda was all smiles while speaking to PEOPLE and other reporters at Bercy Arena, calling his time in Paris the “experience of a lifetime.”

“It’s awesome moment. You know, I’m in the all-around finals. And I’m not last,” Juda said, adding that he’d rate his time in Paris a “12 out of 10.”

Richard, 20, also shared an uplifting perspective after the final when speaking to reporters, including PEOPLE. “I know I’ve got a long career. I’ll keep getting better and better and I trust the process,” he said on Wednesday.

“I realized I was tired,” Richard explained. But his taste of the Olympics only fueled his goals for the future. “I gained a lot from this competition in successes and failures. I’m going to go back to the gym extremely hungry.”

Richard added that he’s grateful to have “learned as much as I can” in Paris and that he’s looking forward to “coming back stronger” in the future now that he’s gained some valuable experience. “A perfect story is kind of boring sometimes,” he remarked.

On July 29, Richard, Juda and teammates Brody Malone, Asher Hong and Stephen Nedoroscik took home the United States’ first men’s gymnastics medal in 16 years, winning bronze behind gold medalists Japan and runners-up China.

After winning their bronze medal, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team told PEOPLE during an interview at the Team USA House in Paris that they’ve all “been friends for years” and the group looks at the Paris Olympics as “just another moment for us to get even closer.”

“We all come from an NCAA program that’s kind of what makes us special,” Malone, 24, told PEOPLE exclusively. “And I mean, gymnastics itself is kind of an individual sport but when you go to an NCAA program, it really teaches you how to come together as a team and compete for one another,” he added.

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Nedoroscik, 25, quickly became an internet sensation after delivering a terrific pommel horse performance. Viewers became enamored with Nedoroscik and quickly dubbed him the “Clark Kent” of gymnastics, referring to Superman’s alter ego.

The Pennsylvania State University alum told PEOPLE he first realized he had become one of the most popular Olympic storylines after Monday’s competition. “I finally got to sit down with my family and for the first time I looked at my phone, I was just like, ‘What is going on?’, and my girlfriend goes, ‘Dude, you are not going to believe this.’ ”

Nedoroscik said his favorite meme fans made after his performance was “the one that said he’s just like a sleeper agent,” said the gymnast. “He’s sitting there and then he’s up and he takes off his glasses like Superman.”

Nedoroscik will next compete in the men’s individual final for pommel horse.

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