First-time Olympian Paul Juda had a whirlwind opening day at the Paris Games, delivering a rock-solid performance for the US men in gymnastics qualifying before he was whisked off to meet First Lady Jill Biden.
The 23-year-old set aside any nerves to help the US men take a first step toward a first Olympic team gymnastics medal since 2008, but he could barely get over the call to meet Biden.
“I still don’t even get that,” Juda said after he and teammates were introduced to Biden. “I’m still in shock.
“And they were like, ‘Oh, you’re celebrities.’ I’m, like, ‘No, I’m just a gymnast from Deerfield, Illinois’ — it’s insane.”
With six strong routines, Juda lined up a spot in the all-round final behind teammate Frederick Richard as the Americans’ more likely all-around contender, Brody Malone, struggled.
Juda led off the US men on each apparatus in the first session of qualifying — a potentially nerve-wracking position that he said he had tried to prepare himself for.
“I’ve been pushing myself to try and get uncomfortable as much as possible so that when the pressure’s on and it’s day one and they call your name and you’re the first routine of the Olympic Games you just go,” he said.
“I saluted and, honestly, for a second I kind of blacked out and I was like, ‘All right, I’m here. OK, wait, I’ve already been here a million times,’” added Juda, who said his heart was racing and his hands numb as he launched his Games on the pommel horse.
“I just knew that if they put me first, that I earned that myself,” he said. “They didn’t do that willy-nilly. They did that because they thought I could execute it.”
China and Japan are expected to duel for team gold and Britain emerged from the first qualifying session with a lead of more than three points over the Americans, who will also likely have to battle a strong Ukrainian team for a chance at bronze.
“We didn’t watch any scores,” Juda said. “We’re not going to watch any scores for the next competition. We’re just going to go into our routines and lay the cards where they fall.”
