Fierce and Fearless – Fred Richard Wants To Be Team USA’s Next Star

There’s absolutely no doubt that Fred Richard wants to win. And he’s not afraid to say it. Walking away from his very first NCAA Championships with a handful of trophies, including the All-Around, high bar and parallel bar titles, only solidified that he is one of the best in the nation. Later this year he wants to prove he’s one of the best in the world. 

Despite his freshman status, Richard’s presence is mature and veteran-like. He competes with confidence and trains with determination. Winning medals on the sport’s biggest stage isn’t something he simply dreams about, he plans for it and expects it. It’s been nearly a decade since the U.S. men have won a team medal at the World Championships but with his increasing difficulty and fierce competitive nature, Richard hopes he can change that later this year in Antwerp. 

Fourth All-Around in his first U.S. Championship as a senior last summer, many felt Richard could have provided a big boost for the U.S. Men’s Worlds team in 2022, however, since he competed internationally as a junior athlete earlier that year, he wasn’t eligible to contend for a spot on the team. Staying home was far from what Richard wanted, however, he held his head high and continued the grind in the gym. This year it’s officially game on. 

Now, with his freshman NCAA season behind him and a busy summer ahead, Richard wants you to remember the name. And not only that, he wants you to remember his sport. With over half a million followers on Tik Tok and over 100k on Instagram, Richard is putting the spotlight on men’s gymnastics, highlighting the extreme athleticism of the sport while also showcasing the fun side. Whether he’s flipping into a pair of pants or stacking up cups and seeing how high he can fly, his hope is to entertain and attract more interest in the sport – both of which he is doing a mighty fine job with. Along the way he hopes his journey will inspire his followers – hopefully one day they’ll see him on the World or Olympic medal stand! 

You wrapped up your freshman season with three NCAA titles – how does it feel? 

It feels weird [laughs]. It’s a lot of people’s goal by the end of their career to get that and I’ve done it in the first year which is pretty sweet. 

Did you ever envision your freshman year ending this way? 

I definitely did. I plan for things like this and then train everyday but it’s nice to know the hard work paid off, you know? 

Paul Juda won the All-Around title last year, which means back to back titles for Michigan with your win this year. Did he have any words of wisdom for you? 

He just told me to do my thing. He had good faith in me that I could step up to the plate and I’m glad that I did. It’s a shame he couldn’t compete, but I’m glad that we could keep it in the Michigan family! 

As a team this was the highest finish since 2014 when Michigan last won the title. You guys have a lot of talent returning next year – what do you think that says about the future of the program? 

I think it’s clear that the first place podium isn’t too far away. With all of us knowing that, I think we’re going to grind even harder in the gym for next year and make sure we make every opportunity worth it. 

Stanford has been so dominant the last few years, what do you think it’s going to take to beat them? 

Honestly I think we have what it takes skill-wise, it’s just planning and peaking at the right point. I think we’ve got the right guys on our team that can handle it and perform better. Stanford is going to be losing a couple of guys next year, which will weaken them of course. I only see us being stronger next year.

Now that your college season is over and your focus shifts to Elite, what are some of your goals for the rest of the year? 

I have a couple of competitions planned. The bigger one is in China for the World University Games. This is kind of my warm up for the U.S. Championships but also for me to compare myself against the Chinese who are one of the most competitive countries in men’s gymnastics. So I would like to go there and learn from the Chinese, but also show them who I am. Then come back and about two weeks later we have U.S. Championships, where I definitely think I can win the competition. I want to make a statement that I’m the best in the country by then. The final competition of the year will be Worlds, which of course is where we can make a statement as a country. Last Worlds I feel like was a little bit of a disappointment with the men coming in fifth, so I want to be on that team now and hopefully make the difference. 

Can you explain what happened last year with you being ineligible to try for a spot on the World Team?  

It was a weird rule that nobody really caught. Because I had competed in February as a junior, because I was 17 at the time, I was not allowed to switch from junior to senior (internationally) in the same year. Nobody realized – the coaches, USA Gymnastics – until it was too late. 

How excited are you to finally have the chance to contend for a spot this year? 

I’m very excited. I feel like my goal is not just to make a World Team spot, but to win some medals. I think last year I could have made the team but I may not have been as competitive when it came to bringing home medals. I feel like I could really do that this year. 

What do you see as your biggest strengths, from a team perspective and individual? 

I would say my highest chance for a medal would be high bar. I’m ranked number one in college on high bar but also country-wise I think me and Brody [Malone] are top two. I’ll have to see when Brody is back where I stand. Of course Brody won last Worlds on high bar so I know I’ll be able to contend for that spot. I’ve been doing very well on parallel bars this year and have been hitting scores that could medal for sure internationally, so we’ll have to see where I stand there. Then the final event is floor exercise, I’ve been doing pretty good there. I think I definitely have a World Champion level routine there too. 

Do you have any upgrades planned that you can share? 

Definitely. On floor I have a front double full, punch double front that I’ve been working in the background. It would add about six tenths to my routine. Also my first pass on floor, which right now is a 2.5 twisting double back, I’ll turn that into a triple twisting double back – the same skill that Simone got a lot of hype over. Every event has a lot, it would take a while to go through all of them, but a lot of good stuff is planned. Upgrades are definitely coming and ready!

What about your long-term goals? I’d imagine that the Olympics are the ultimate dream for you… When did you first dream of going to the Olympics? 

I would say within the last three years it’s become more of a goal than a dream. I think I realized I have the potential to not just make the Olympics but bring home medals. I think that’s the big difference. I’m not just aiming to make that team, we need to bring home medals. I think the ultimate dream that I have is growing the sport. To be honest, I’m very not satisfied with where we stand on the men’s side of things, so I feel like my whole mission is to grow the sport. 

You’ve certainly helped put more eyes on the sport through social media with over half a million followers on Tik Tok and 100K+ on Instagram. Do you have a pretty good gauge of who your audience is? 

I would say a lot of them are not involved in gymnastics. I think a lot of them just kind of fell in love with my story but I do want to find a way to get a lot of them who aren’t involved with gymnastics more involved. 

Has your following helped you to secure any NIL deals? 

100%. That’s kind of the only metric companies are looking for with NIL deals. I’m trying not to dip my hands in too many buckets. Right now I’m looking for more long-term things, more 2-3 year deals to get through the Olympic cycle. But it’s amazing! We went from college athletes not being able to make any money to having so many opportunities. 

You have a lot of fun and creative video ideas. Do you come up with that on your own or where do you get inspiration from?

A lot of it is coming up with it on my own, but I also look at comments and sometimes people request things that they want to see and then I’ll do that for the fun of it. Then I’ll have friends come up with interesting ideas and say, ‘Try this!’ It’s a lot of different things! 

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@frederickflips Pt.2 will be the shirt😁👌🏾#flip #flipping #michigan #umich #fyp #foryou ♬ I Bet U Won’t – Mouse and Level

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Do you edit your own videos? 

Right now for the most part I edit my own videos but if it’s a little more complicated to edit I have some editing resources. 

What advice would you give to athletes out there who want to grow their social media following and take advantage of NIL opportunities? 

Two things. Number one, be as consistent as possible. I think a lot of people think they need to have this extremely high quality video and strategy to start, but you learn as you go. It’s impossible to be successful right from the start. You just have to get started and stay consistent and you’ll find what works for you. Also, it’s all about the storytelling. People are in love with stories! The better you can tell a story, the more you can keep people watching you. 

What are you studying in school? 

I’m studying business. I have really found a passion for that. 

I know you have a long way to go but do you have any ideas about what you want to do in the future? 

I want to own a lot of businesses. While I’m younger I want to venture off into a lot of gymnastics businesses whether it’s having competitions or building gyms or gymnastics clothing or products. I’m definitely interested in business! 

Before you gear up for the Elite season, are you doing anything fun to wind down and celebrate your NCAA season? 

The most fun thing I’m doing is going to the gym everyday and not missing a day! If I sit down and relax that gives somebody else a chance to beat me and I can’t let that happen [laughs]!

Lead photo by Lloyd Smith; remaining photos by Jessica Frankl

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