The 16-year wait has ended and the U.S. men have finally won a medal in gymnastics. The historic podium finish came after a humongous performance from Brody Malone and Stephen Nedoroscik. However, the real question in everyone’s mind is why aren’t the two performing in the All-Around Final at the Paris Olympics? 

Despite their historic performances, Malone and Nedoroscik’s absence in the All-Around final isn’t surprising. However, the reasons for them missing the competition are quite different. For Malone, it’s a tragic story of redemption gone wrong and for Nedorochik it’s a tale of a risk that ultimately became a historic success.

Here is why Stephen Nedoroscik won’t be a part of the Gymnastics All-Around Final 

USA Gymnastics was naturally anxious heading into the Paris Olympics. Because while their women’s team was all-dominating, the men had lost their edge. That pushed them to make a big bet on Stephen Nedoroscik – a specialist who did only one routine. The decision was initially met with a lot of question marks and it was for the right reasons.

Normally teams are encouraged to have gymnasts who can perform multiple events but desperation can make one take drastic measures. So as a specialist, Nedoroscik was only supposed to do the pommel horse routine, and that effectively shut him off from the All-Around final. But the bet did pay off – the US men finally won a medal in the Olympics and Nedoroscik had a huge role to play in that. 

The 25-year-old waited for 5 rounds before his pommel horse routine. But when he finally got to perform, he earned a huge 15.200 score. Suddenly, the US was in the top 3 for the first time since 2008. The Nedoroscik experiment had worked. As for Brody Malone – the reason was less than flattering. 

Brody Malone misses the All-Around Final, shocking many

Brody Malone entered the Paris Olympics as a huge favorite. However, the grandeur of the occasion got the better of him. Despite coming off of impressive performances, Malone had a nightmare experience during the qualifying round. The 24-year-old experienced two falls and one slip in pommel horse, floor exercise, and high bar. The latter was particularly surprising because that is his strongest suit.

As a result, Malone couldn’t qualify for the All-Around finals. However, his tale of redemption didn’t end there. Brody Malone played a decisive role in United State’s bronze win. The gymnastics star improved upon every mistake that he made on Saturday and finished with almost 2 points higher than his qualifying round score. That solidified the team’s hold on the Bronze medal which was solidified by Stephen Nedoroscik’s performance. 

So as it stands, Fred Richard and Paul Juda are set to represent the nation in the All-Around finals. Malone has had his redemption but can Richard and Juda turn this triumph even more special? We’ll find out soon.