Frederick Nathaniel Richard, aka Fred Richard, does not wait for permission to change the game. At just 21, the Olympic bronze medalist has earned more than medals, he’s earned attention. Not only for his performance in the arena but for what he dares to wear inside it. Months after he shook up gymnastics by discarding the traditional uniform at the Winter Cup, Richard is preparing to debut a new version once more, fully aware that it may cost him points. He is not backing down. If anything, he’s just getting started.

Richard’s resume already places him at the forefront of American gymnastics. He played a central role in the U.S. men’s team’s third-place finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics—their first podium appearance since 2008. That same year, he won the all-around at the U.S. Olympic Trials, having already collected a World Championship all-around bronze in 2023, the first American to do so since 2010. Collegiately, Richard has led the University of Michigan to the 2025 NCAA team title, winning the all-around crown himself. These victories, however, are only part of his mission.

At this month’s Winter Cup, Richard will once again take the floor in a modified uniform, one that breaks with tradition and could result in a 0.3 deduction per day. “There will be a new uniform. Yeah, you heard it here first,” he confirmed while in conversation with Kensley Behel of Neutral Deductions. “Turn has been working on making some tweaks based on feedback. We’ll also have a lot of design elements of it.” The uniform is different than the one he wore last year, but the intent remains. “My mindset on it is like I’m doing so much work in the gym every day,” he said. “We put so much work into the sport, and we’re going to go to championships, and if that crowd is one-tenth full, it’s like why are we doing all this work?”

Richard’s decision is not just about comfort. It is a response to what he sees as stagnation in the sport’s public visibility. “If I keep the same old uniform and we make no changes and we try no new things, why are we doing all this work?” he asked. He points to dismal viewership numbers from recent meets, such as the University Games stream, which peaked at fewer than 1,000 viewers. “Our sport has so much further to go. And if we’re not willing to take risks and try new things—even if they’re not the right things—if we’re not willing to take the risk, why am I dedicating my whole life to this?”

For Richard, change is not a sideshow. It is central to his presence in gymnastics. From sweeping junior titles at the Pan American Championships to earning high bar gold at the 2023 U.S. Nationals, he has proven that progress does not mean sacrificing performance. The risk is real, but so is his conviction. “I want people to watch the sport. I want people to want to make changes in the sport to grow it,” he said. And if that means sacrificing a fraction of a point, so be it.

Frederick Richard aims to rewrite gymnastics tradition with bold new uniform debut

Frederick Richard has long been one to resist the confines of precedent, but at this year’s Winter Cup, he took that instinct further than most gymnasts dare. Trading in the standard-issue unitard and competition pants for a sleeveless top and tailored shorts, Richard introduced what he described as “a modern-day switch of the uniform.” The design, years in the making, is not a novelty for spectacle. It is a deliberate attempt to alter what young boys see when they look at men’s gymnastics, and perhaps to shift what they are willing to imagine for themselves within it.

The uniform, produced in partnership with Turn Gymnastics, sacrifices none of the sport’s demands. Richard tested it on the competition floor, despite a three-tenth deduction to his all-around score. He accepted the penalty without protest. “It’s pretty simple, but it’s kind of just much more comfortable feel,” he remarked. For Richard, that tradeoff was part of the calculation, proof, as he explained, that the uniform meets performance standards and invites a broader conversation. “People in the crowd eventually will get to wear our jerseys,” he added, “which is something you don’t see in gymnastics.”

What began as a personal response to discomfort has become something larger: a calculated effort to align men’s gymnastics with contemporary sport culture. Richard is pursuing this change not only through design but through institutional engagement, speaking with officials and collegiate coaches, positioning the uniform as a legitimate alternative. “It kind of feels like the revamp of men’s gymnastics,” he said, “Anything that we’re passionate about changing, let’s go for it.” With each meet, Richard is not merely competing but is methodically reshaping the future of men’s gymnastics, one uniform at a time.