PHOENIX — For most athletes, the memory of an Olympic near-miss fades into a bittersweet motivator. For Frederick Richard, it is a living, tangible spreadsheet. Inside the gymnast's meticulously updated Google Doc outlining his training plan through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the very first sheet lists approximately 40 reasons why he didn't win gold in Paris.

“Missed ice baths, missed yoga sessions, not understanding every skill from a knowledge standpoint as much as possible, not watching as much gymnastics as I could have,” Richard recounted. “Just every possible thing.”

Now, the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist is using that compunction as fuel for the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships, which kick off Thursday at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. Richard enters the meet as the overwhelming favorite to capture his first U.S. all-around title, especially with reigning champions Asher Hong and Brody Malone sitting out the competition.

“The goal is to really dominate this week, not just win,” Richard explained, addressing the inevitable critics who might point to the absent veterans. “If I win it, I feel like people will say a couple of guys, key players were injured. You know, there’s Asher, there’s Brody. So it’s about dominating, I guess, to really make a statement.”

Richard's tenacious mindset stems from a humbling 2025 season, where despite finishing as the U.S. all-around runner-up, he was omitted from the World Championships team because he failed to place top-two on any single apparatus. Refusing to be a mere “side character” on the global stage, the University of Michigan product spent two weeks training in China and Japan, absorbing the high-difficulty routines of international elites.

The strategy is paying dividends. Richard now believes he is within one point of difficulty of the world's best male gymnasts. Having already secured an all-around bronze at the 2023 World Championships, he has boldly asserted his intention to win gold at this October's Worlds in Rotterdam, setting a clear trajectory toward 2028.

“Every time I enter that doc to tweak something, I see that list,” Richard noted of his Paris regrets. “I look through it again, and I think, am I doing everything I possibly can be doing? Am I missing out on the recovery, on the basics work, on the flexibility, everything? And then I make adjustments. But that first [page] is the motivator. I’m not afraid to look back at mistakes and use it to get better.”

Further Reading

For more on Richard's journey, read NBC Olympics' profile on his LA 2028 aspirations, or follow his official updates on Instagram (@fredrichard_).