Japan bests China for men’s Olympic gymnastics team title, U.S. wins first medal since 2008
PARIS – The United States is back on the team podium in men’s Olympic gymnastics.
Sixteen years after the U.S. won bronze in Beijing, the team returned to the podium with another bronze in Paris, just nine months after returning to the world podium with a bronze in Antwerp.
The U.S. had an outstanding showing in the final, hitting all 18 routines with no major mistakes. A 180 from qualifying, when the team had to count multiple falls and qualified behind Great Britain and Ukraine.
The five-man team of Paul Juda, Brody Malone, Frederick Richard, Asher Hong, and Stephen Nedoroscik turned things around and didn’t give either of the other two bronze medal contenders room to breathe.
The team’s effort was electric from the start – rings to pommel horse. No more uncharacteristic errors from team leader Brody Malone, an incredible vault rotation highlighted by Asher Hong’s Ri Se Gwang and a stuck Kas 1.5 from Paul Juda, and Stephen Nedoroscik bringing it home in the final routine on pommel horse.
“I have this thing that, if everyone hits before me, I’ve never missed,” Stephen Nedoroscik said. I was like, ‘OK, let’s go out there and do our thing’. I saluted [after the routine] and looked at these guys, and they were jumping up and down, and it was the greatest moment of my life.”
For the gold, China had the upper hand on Japan until the last rotation, when China’s Xiao Ruoteng and Su Weide accounted for three falls and erased the 3 point advantage they had. Reigning Olympic high bar champion Daiki Hashimoto finished the job with a hit set that went 14.566, just two days after falling in qualifying. His friendly rival in the all-around, Zhang Boheng, followed in the anchor spot for China, but his 14.733 wasn’t enough.
“I brought everyone’s passion together for my routine,” Hashimoto said. “I remembered the passion of my coaches and my teachers, and that made me very happy.”
The final standings were:
- Japan – 259.594
- China – 259.062
- United States – 257.793
- Great Britain – 255.527
- Ukraine – 254.761
- Italy – 248.260
- Switzerland – 247.427
- Canada – 245.426
Keep reading for a play-by-play recap of how the meet unfolded. Click here to jump to the start of the event.
Mon. July 29 @ 8:18 p.m.
Mon. July 29 @ 8:10 p.m.
FINAL from Bercy!
Mon. July 29 @ 8:07 p.m.
Zhang needs a 15.266 to win it for China. He went 15+ in qualifying, but it will be close… Excellent routine, but a large single step on the landing. We’ll see…
Mon. July 29 @ 8:05 p.m.
Daiki goes over the Zhang Boheng, who is up last on high bar, and gives him a hug and pat on the back. The sportsmanship in this tense moment is incredible!
Mon. July 29 @ 8:04 p.m.
Now will it be Japan or China for the gold? Daiki catches the Liukin… good on the Cassina. Beautiful Kolman. Laid-out Tkatchev. Hop 1/1. Laid-out double-double, just a small single step. OH MY OH MY! 14.566.
Mon. July 29 @ 8:02 p.m.
Stephen Nedoroscik (USA) PH: It all comes down to goggles guy! Bit of a form break on the Russians, but HE HITS IT. THEY’RE GOING TO WIN A MEDAL! 14.866 – only a 6.2 routine, but it doesn’t matter – that’s all they needed from him.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:59 p.m.
Su Weide is OFF on high bar. They already had to count a fall from Xiao. This is NOT good… He falls AGAIN. These now three falls have essentially eliminated the deficit between China and Japan to start this rotation. Japan has a chance at gold, and it will all come down to the defending Olympic Champion, Daiki Hashimoto.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:56 p.m.
Brody Malone (USA) PH: Fell here to start qualifying. MUST hit… and he does! And he’s celebrating, which means you KNOW he’s pumped up. One more to go for the U.S. – they can taste that Olympic medal. 13.700.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:55 p.m.
Shinnosuke Oka (JPN) HB: Tak full, excellent. Tak half, good. Kolman. Laid-out Taktchev. Straddle Tkatchev. Jam sequence. Tak. Laid-out double-double, hop forward. 14.433.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:53 p.m.
Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) HB: Tak full, bit over. Tak half, better, to laid-out Tkatchev. Straddle Tkatchev to pike Tkatchev. Jam sequence. Hop 1/1. Laid-out double-double, super low and may have hit his knees/shins… he, in fact, did. 13.033… inquiry submitted, and score changed to 13.433.
Harry Hepworth (GBR) FX = 14.700
Mon. July 29 @ 7:49 p.m.
Paul Juda (USA) PH: The U.S. MUST hit horse… Good scissors to start. Flairs, Busnari, more flairs, oh my goodness what a set from Paul – he hits! His job is done, and he has CERTAINLY done it well. 13.900.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:48 p.m.
Takaaki Sugino (JPN) HB: Putting one of their best up first! Pegan, catches it! Cassina. Kovacs to Kolman, catches it! One-arm giant 1/1. Tak full. Yamawaki to stalder. Tak half. Double-twisting double layout. What a way to start! 14.566.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:43 p.m.
One to go…
Mon. July 29 @ 7:39 p.m.
Nicola Bartolini (ITA) FX: Randi, small hop. 3.5 twist, stuck. Tucked double-double. 1.5 to front full. Front double full. 2.5 to front layout. Triple twist, single step. Excellent routine from Nicola.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:36 p.m.
Zou Jingyuan (CHN) PB = 16.000 – doing GOAT things as usual
Mon. July 29 @ 7:35 p.m.
Frederick Richard (USA) FX: 2.5 twisting double back, small hop forward. Front double full to front layout. Tucked double-double, stuck. Flairs sequence. Double full, stuck. 2.5 to front full, stuck. Half-in, half-out, low chests but he FIGHTS for the stick. 14.466.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:30 p.m.
China and Japan doing their thing over on parallel bars.
- Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) = 14.733
- Kazuma Kaya (JPN) = 14.733
- Zhang Boheng (JPN) = 15.100
Mon. July 29 @ 7:27 p.m.
Asher Hong (USA) FX: Front double full to front double tuck, OOB but stays on his feet. Front full to front double pike. Laid-out double-double. 2.5 to front layout, hop forward. Triple twist, hop back. 14.133.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:20 p.m.
Paul Juda (USA) FX: Tucked double-double, small hop. Front double full to front layout, small hop. Randi, bit under-rotated, hop forward. Double full, stuck. Flairs sequence. 2.5 to front full, heels click together as he does a little college stick. Half-in, half-out, small hop forward. 14.200!
Mon. July 29 @ 7:16 p.m.
Standings after Rotation 4
Mon. July 29 @ 7:11 p.m.
Brody Malone (USA) HB: Fell on his signature event in qualifying, but he’s a world champ here too, so let’s see… One-arm giant 1/1. Tak half. Cassina, catches it. Kolman, good. Laid-out Tkatchev. Straddle Tkatchev. Tak full, on top of the bar! Hop 1/1. STUCK laid-out double-double. Downgraded his routine and took out the Liukin – right call. 14.166, but an inquiry has been submitted… wondering if it’s the judges counting his layout Tkatchev as a pike like they did to Fred in qualifying… doesn’t matter, score unchanged.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:07 p.m.
Over on vault, looks like Wataru Tanigawa got his front double pike half downgraded – inquiry submitted.
Su Weide follows and puts his hand down, will have to count a fall – the first for China. 12.766 opens the door.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:05 p.m.
Fred Richard (USA) HB: The U.S. needs hits from Fred and Brody… Cassina, excellent. Kolman, beautiful. Liukin upgrade, catches it! Straddle Tkatchev to pike Tkatchev. Hop 1/1 to one-arm giant. Tak full, bit over. Tak half. Laid-out double-double, STUCK, and this arena is electric! 14.833.
Mon. July 29 @ 7:01 p.m.
Daiki Hashimoto (JPN) VT: Kas double. 14.900.
Zhang Boheng (CHN) follows on vault with another Kas double, bit low in the chest, hop forward. 14.533.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:59 p.m.
Paul Juda (USA) HB: Yamawaki. Kovacs. Laid-out Tkatchev. Straddle Taktchev. Jam sequence. Tak half, excellent. Full-twisting double layout, fights for the stick, but has to take a hop. 13.366.
Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) VT: Kas double. Single step. 14.800.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:56 p.m.
Rotation 4 coming. China and Japan on vault, Ukraine and Great Britain on parallel bars, U.S. and Italy on high bar, Canada and Switzerland on floor.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:51 p.m.
Led by a massive 15.500 from defending Olympic champion Liu Yang, China has jumped into the lead over the U.S. by more than a point.
The U.S. has done themselves a favor through three rotations, but high bar will be a key teller of how the rest of this meet will go for them.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:44 p.m.
Asher Hong is on fire today. Excellent routine from him on parallel bars, and he sticks the double front half dismount. 14.400.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:43 p.m.
Igor Radivilov (UKR) VT: Double front half, no stick today, but just a small hop. Great rotation for Ukraine! 14.766.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:41 p.m.
Harry Hepworth (GBR) VT: Front handspring Randi, smallest of hops, STUNNING. What a beautiful vault. 14.966.
Rings update from China and Japan:
- Kazuma Kaya (JPN) = 14.000
- Zhang Boheng (CHN) = 14.833
Mon. July 29 @ 6:39 p.m.
Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) VT: Double front half, single step. 14.800.
Fred Richard hits parallel bars, almost sticks the dismount but has to take a small hop. Looked like he had a form issue partway through, but recovered well. 14.566.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:37 p.m.
Jake Jarman (GBR) VT: Goes for the Kas 2.5, large hop forward, but important for him to throw that more difficult vault, especially after Whitehouse’s fall. 15.266 – that’ll stop the bleeding a bit.
Nazar Chepurnyi (UKR) VT: Excellent Kas double for a 14.900
Mon. July 29 @ 6:35 p.m.
Zou Jingyuan (CHN) SR = 14.933
Brody Malone (USA) PB = 14.433
Mon. July 29 @ 6:32 p.m.
Luke Whitehouse (GBR) VT: Double front half, but under-rotated and lands on his knees. That’s terrible for GB’s medal chances, great for the U.S. 13.033.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:26 p.m.
Standings after Rotation 2:
Mon. July 29 @ 6:25 p.m.
Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) PH = 14.333
Mon. July 29 @ 6:22 p.m.
Harry Hepworth with a big score for Team GB to close their rotation on rings – 14.800!
Mon. July 29 @ 6:18 p.m.
First major mistake of the meet: Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, falls on pommel horse.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:16 p.m.
Asher Hong (USA) VT: This is a huge potential vault for the U.S., and it’s a HUGE vault. One of his cleanest. Stays within the lines, just a hop back. 14.833!
Mon. July 29 @ 6:14 p.m.
China and Japan going at it over on pommel horse. Takaaki Sugino bests Zou with a 14.866.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:11 p.m.
Brody Malone (USA) VT: Stuck Kas 1.5 as well, but he lands with one foot over the line.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:10 p.m.
Zou Jingyuan (CHN) PH = 14.800
Mon. July 29 @ 6:10 p.m.
Kazuma Kaya (JPN) PH = 14.366
Mon. July 29 @ 6:07 p.m.
Paul Juda (USA) VT: STUCK Kas 1.5. Exceptional! A USA cheer is starting in the arena. 14.666.
Mon. July 29 @ 6:00 p.m.
After one rotation:
Mon. July 29 @ 6:00 p.m.
We’ll do rotation-by-rotation team standings updates, but remember, different events skew higher or lower, so they’re not always indicative of the state of the competition.
Mon. July 29 @ 5:56 p.m.
Shinnosuke Oka (JPN) FX: Full-twisting double layout, stuck. Front full to Randi, believe he stayed in. Tucked double-double, stuck, albeit deep in the knees. Flairs sequence. Double full, stuck. 2.5, stuck. That was exceptional. 14.633.
Oleg Verniaiev (UKR) PH = 14.833
Mon. July 29 @ 5:54 p.m.
Su Weide (CHN) FX = 14.333
Max Whitlock (GBR) PH: Excellent set. Beautiful flop work. Busnari seemed a bit tedious, with the crowd on the edge of its seat, but he hits and they go crazy. 15.266.
Mon. July 29 @ 5:51 p.m.
Strong start for the U.S. on rings. Three scores over 14, highlighted by Hong’s 14.533.
Mon. July 29 @ 5:48 p.m.
Daiki Hashimoto (JPN) FX: Tucked triple-double. Tucked double-double, stuck. 1.5 to Randi. Double full. 2.5 to front layout. Triple twist, stuck. He pumps his fist – very happy with that! 14.633.
Meanwhile, over on rings, Asher Hong hit his set to the elation of the crowd. 14.533.
Mon. July 29 @ 5:46 p.m.
Radomyr Stelmakh (UKR) PH = 14.033
Joe Fraser (GBR) PH = 13.933
Mon. July 29 @ 5:45 p.m.
Zhang Boheng (CHN) FX: Front double full to front double pike, small hop back. 3.5 twist to tuck half. Randi, small hop. Double full, stuck. 2.5 to front layout, small hop. Triple twist, hop back. 14.233.
Brody Malone (USA) SR = 14.166
Mon. July 29 @ 5:42 p.m.
Kazuma Kaya (JPN) FX: Front double pike, small hop forward. 3.5 twist. Front double full to layout, stuck. Double full to the side, small hop. 2.5 to front full, stuck. Triple full, stuck. Kazuma just LAID IT DOWN! 14.000.
Mario Macchiati (ITA) SR = 13.566
Mon. July 29 @ 5:40 p.m.
Felix Dolci (CAN) VT: Kas 1.5, beautiful through the air and a small hop forward. 14.300.
Mon. July 29 @ 5:38 p.m.
Xiao Ruoteng (CHN) FX: Randi, low chest, hop to the side. Front double full to layout, stays in bounds. Tucker double-double, large hop back. 2.5 to front full, small hop forward. Flares sequence. Double full to the side, stuck. Triple twist, stuck. Excellent start for China! 13.966.
Meanwhile, Fred Richard hit rings with a stuck double-double (14.033), and Great Britain also got a hit out of Jake Jarman (14.133).
Mon. July 29 @ 5:36 p.m.
U.S. is starting on rings with Italy. China and Japan on floor. Ukraine and Great Britain on pommel horse. We’ll primarily follow the top 5 from qualifying (China, Japan, Great Britain, Ukraine. U.S.).
Mon. July 29 @ 5:29 p.m.
This arena is certainly American heavy. They’ve gotten the loudest cheer in all the pre-meet festivities and just now when the team entered.
Mon. July 29 @ 5:27 p.m.
Athletes entering the arena now!
Mon. July 29 @ 4:54 p.m.
Reminder that today’s team final format is 3 up, 3 count vs. qualifying, which was 4 up, 3 count. No room for mistakes today!
Mon. July 29 @ 4:30 p.m.
Welcome to our live blog of the men’s gymnastics team final at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games! We are live inside Bercy Arena, where competition will begin at 5:30 p.m. CEST/11:30 a.m. EDT. See the top of the page for key links, including our preview, schedule, start list, and qualifying recaps.
