Minneapolis: Fred Richard moved closer to the Paris Olympics after the US gymnastics trials opened Thursday, leading national champion Brody Malone.
Richard capped off his night with an excellent floor routine and earned the highest score on his way to a total of 85.60.
Malone, the 2022 senior world champion, returned from a career-threatening knee injury earlier this month to win his third national title, with a total of 85.10.
Minneapolis favorite Shane Wiskus, who, like Malone, represented the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics, was third in 84.30 and Paul Judaud was fourth in 84.15.
Malone, a 20-year-old teammate who helped the United States win bronze at the World Championships in Antwerp last year, is a candidate for a berth in Paris.
Malone had a comprehensive victory over Richard earlier this month at the US Championships, his first since suffering a serious knee injury at the March 2023 meeting in Germany.
On Thursday, Malone opened her trials by nailing her knee on the vault and covering the landing to post the second-best score of the night at 14.60.
“Honestly, it feels better to do routines without nails,” said Malone, who wears nails for floor exercises. “It hits my chin very hard. So I’ve been training without heels and I feel better. Running feels smoother and I’d say that’s just the cherry on top.”
Malone was second to Richard on the high bar and third on the rings.
Behind that, Moldauer seniors Asher Hong and Khoi Young, who were part of last year’s world bronze medal-winning team, have a bleak picture for the selectors.
Young had a terrible night, falling twice on the pommel horse and failing to complete an element in the high element.
Moldauer and Hong tied for fifth in 83.70, but Young finished 12th.
