Taking a deduction to make a point is one thing. Taking two of them in the same competition, while leading the national championships, is something else entirely. America’s best hope for men’s gymnastics gold refuses to wear the standard uniform, and the judges keep penalising him for it. Fred Richard knows exactly what he’s doing, and he shows no signs of stopping.

The 22-year-old defied expectations by flying to a lead during night one of the men’s competition, and that was despite being deducted points. He received two point deductions, the first intentionally; officials docked Richard’s points for a uniform violation.

“I’m not going to stop it,” Richard said, according to Gymnastics Now.

What makes things rather interesting is the fact that at the 2026 USA Gymnastics Championships, Richards currently leads the charge for the all-around gold. The 22-year-old scored 84.326 after day one, which was good enough for first place. Shane Wiskus (83.207) and Cooper Kim (82.018) marginally trail behind him, but Fred Richards could have been further ahead.

The 22-year-old was docked three-tenths of a point for a uniform violation. He then had the same amount knocked off after he failed to salute properly following his pommel horse dismount. While the latter was avoidable, the former has been an ongoing battle for Richards. The Olympian has taken a stance since 2025, when he first started wearing shorts instead of the standard uniform.

That was in an effort to help bring change to what he believes are unnecessarily tight pants. While Richards’ protests have been met with support from fellow gymnasts, the judges have seen otherwise. Officials have continuously deducted points from him since the change, though it hasn’t stopped him from winning. The 22-year-old has since won two back-to-back NCAA all-round championship titles alongside a team gold in 2025 and bronze in 2026.

Furthermore, he also won the all-around title at the 2026 Winter Cup and came second at the 2025 USA Championships. It’s why many see Richards as the future for USA Gymnastics, especially considering his standing. After all, the 22-year-old is likely their only hope of an all-around gold medal at the LA Olympics.

That was also largely the case at the 2024 Paris Olympics but Richards couldn’t quite hit his mark then. Instead, he finished almost four points behind winner Shinnosuke Oka. Since then, the American hasn’t finished outside a podium, winning three out of his five major meets.

And he believed that, in 2025, changing his uniform and sticking to his beliefs had paved the way for him.

“Number one, it just makes me proud to know that I am doing things other people aren’t doing,” Richard said in 2025 (via CBS News). “I’m trying new things I’m passionate about, going after things I believe in, being myself, having fun with it. So all of that just kind of makes it really fun and I feel like my younger self would be proud.”

Richards has made it clear that the deductions won’t change his mind, but his protest has also opened up a wider conversation.

Fred Richards opens up on potential new uniforms

While it may feel like the battle started only a year ago, for Fred Richards it started in 2024. The now 22-year-old Olympian was part of the team that won the USA a team bronze in Paris. Even then, for the then University of Michigan star, his leotard never quite felt right. In fact, immediately after his adventures in Paris, Richards returned to the US and began trying to figure out why.

He even sat down with a designer with him looking to completely revamp what male gymnasts wore while competing. And after months of tests and designs, the 22-year-old finally unveiled his efforts during the 2025 Winter Cup. A custom-made gymnastics uniform, with shorts and compression leggings instead of the tight unitard and pants that most wore.

Since then, Fred Richards has been consistently docked points for wearing the uniform, with three-tenths of a point knocked off per day of competition. However, that never deterred him and instead spurred Richards on as he stood his ground, as he continues to do. He believes gymnastics needs to change things, starting with the uniforms.

“From a design element, I still think the look of the old uniforms just doesn’t fit this day and age,” Richard said in an interview in 2025 (via CBS News). “I never felt comfortable in it; I never felt cool in it when I was growing up in school…I never liked the style of it.

“I think a lot of people still have respect for me for being bold enough to try new things, try to make changes. Our sport needs a lot of people trying a lot of new things in different areas. I feel like all of this is necessary to change the product to a product that does fill the crowds. It does make people watch on TV be interested,” he added.

The deductions may keep coming, but so does Fred Richard’s refusal to fall in line. With the American already proving he can win while challenging the rules, his continued uniform protest could become just as notable, especially as he pushes to emerge as USA’s best hope for men’s gymnastics gold.