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What happened to Brody Malone at Paris Olympics 2024? All about the American's comeback appearance after last year's devasting injury
Brody Malone is one of America’s most experienced and most successful gymnasts. He was poised for a grand appearance in Paris, entering the competition as one of the favorites to end USA's medal drought in the men's gymnastics at the Olympic Games.
Malone suffered a devastating knee injury in early 2023 and remained out of the competition for the whole year. He returned to win the U.S. Gymnastics Championships earlier this year and qualified for the Paris Olympics during the trials in June.
The 10-time NCAA champion competed in the majority of individual events during the men's qualification round on July 27. However, he didn't qualify for the finals of any of the six events or the all-around exercise.
The 2022 world champion scored 12.66 to place 61st in floor exercise. He earned 12.100 for 55th place on pommel horse, 14.233 for 14th on rings, 14.533 on vault for 18th place, and 12.33 for 59th place on horizontal bars. His combined scores also weren't enough for him to qualify for the all-around finals, placing 30th behind Paul Juda and Frederick Richards.
Brody Malone fell twice on the high bars, and once on the pommel horse, which largely marred both his scores and his confidence. Though he was decent on rings and vault, the scores weren't enough to place him in the top eight of the event competition. However, since the USA qualified for the team finals, he will still have a chance to win his first Olympic medal.
Only one American male gymnast qualified for the event finals, Stephen Nedoroscik on pommel horse with a score of 15.200 for second place. Paul Juda and Frederick Richards placed 10th and 13th with scores of 83.498 and 82.865, respectively, in the all-around competition to qualify for finals.
How serious was Brody Malone's injury in 2023?
Brody Malone was competing in the World Cup event in Germany in March 2023 when he slipped during a dismount on a pommel horse. It was the same event that won him a gold medal at the 2022 World Championships, but this time, it gave him a career-ending injury.
Malone suffered a "tibial plateau fracture in his right knee, a fully torn LCL, a torn meniscus, a partially torn PCL and some cartilage damage.". He was taken off the mat onto a stretcher, and couldn't walk on his own for most of that year.
“Many people who aren’t Brody Malone probably would have retired from the sport,” Syque Caesar, Malone's coach, told AP News.
Brody Malone had claimed earlier this year that he wasn't going to just participate in the Paris Olympics, he was going after a medal. While he won't get a medal in individual competitions, the 24-year-old still has a chance to win a medal in team competition.
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