13 Jan Updated! 2020 Olympian Yul Moldauer Returns Competition At Rocky Mountain Open; Looks Ahead To Winter Cup
Let’s GOOOOO!
2020 Olympian, 2024 Olympic alternate and 2023 World team bronze medalist Yul Moldauer is looking ahead to this weekend’s Rocky Mountain Open to launch his official comeback to competition.
In a text message to Inside Gymnastics on Tuesday, Moldauer stated:
“Training has been going really well! I am super excited to come back! I am getting ready for Rocky Mountain Open this weekend. I am going to be doing lighter routines just to get back into the swing of things. I need to compete at this comp to qualify to Winter Cup.
Some people will be surprised how fast I’ve been coming back but I will let you guys in on everything I did while I was out in a podcast I am releasing with GymCrew within the next month. (The podcast can be found here.)
Lastly, I want to say thank you to all the families, friends, and fans that have been supportive over this past year. I am beyond grateful for my circle of people.”
Updated! Moldauer Qualifies For Winter Cup!
Moldauer was suspended for 16 months by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) due to a Whereabouts violation, noting in part in a January 16, 2025 Instagram post: “This experience has been incredibly difficult, but it has also given me the chance to reflect, grow, and come back stronger. I am now in a better mental and physical place and more determined than ever to continue pursuing my goals.”
Later, Moldauer took to Instagram to clarify his original statement. The new statement, in part, read:
“Unfortunately, I find myself needing to clarify my previous statement based upon some of the comments that are being posted. The previous statement that was released seems to imply that USADA or WADA, or the anti-doping officer was somehow responsible for my suspension due to either a bad system or some other type of error. That is about as far from the truth as possible…. “I received the sixteen-month suspension because I had three Whereabout failures. Those failures are on me. I am responsible for following the rules completely and I fell short of that. It really is that simple. Do I wish I had done something a bit different and that I had been more careful? Absolutely. Accountability matters and I want the community to understand that it isn’t just the USADA holding me accountable, I am holding myself accountable as well.”
The suspension meant that Moldauer missed the 2025 U.S. Championships and was not eligible to try and qualify to compete for Team USA at the 2025 World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“One thing I certainly got right in my previous statement is that I am going to keep working and doing everything possible to represent Team USA at the LA 2028 Olympics.”
The 2026 Winter Cup is a qualifying event for the 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships.
Winter Cup will also culminate in the selection of the Women’s and Men’s Senior National Teams, which will be named following the competition. The roster for the 2026 American Cup also will be selected based on Winter Cup performances.
Photo by Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics
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