Stoughton native Frederick Richard, who won a bronze medal as part of the U.S. men’s gymnastics team, joined NBC10 Boston for a discussion Tuesday.
Olympic gymnast and Massachusetts native Frederick Richard dropped by the NBC's Boston Media Center on Tuesday for a victory lap.
His visit came just a week after returning from France where he won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
It's the latest achievement by the 20-year-old from Stoughton, who won two bronze medals at the World Championships and is a three-time NCAA champion.
Richard is also famous for his acrobatics on TikTok.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
He's now waking up from what seems like a dream in Paris.
"What I did was awesome, and it's going to be a part of me forever," said Richard. "But I'm also just me, and I'm ready to keep doing what I love doing, which is gymnastics."
"Flips," as he's also known, is a town hero in Stoughton. He's admired by those who saw him grow up, and the little ones who want to group like him. He's now taking the time to thank them for their support.
"I'm just grateful like all of those people played a part and here I am bettering the world, I guess," he said.
Richard has taken inspiration from other renown athletes like Muhammad Ali.
"I was looking at the Muhammad Ali's where you bring personality to the game, you bring something new to it, and the whole world falls in love with it, and that's what I want to do with men's gymnastics," he said. "I want to reach that next level of dominating in the sport. That's what I see Simone [Biles] doing on the women's side, and that's the next goal, to get to that level."
Richard has already flipped the script on the sport, making it more popular on social media and inspiring younger generations to consider trying it out.
He intends to bring his flips back to the world stage in 2028 in Los Angeles and give Olympic gold another go.
