SARASOTA, Fla. (SNNTV) — Some of the world’s top male gymnasts are in Sarasota, training hard to secure their spots on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.
EVO Gymnastics boasts two 2020 Olympians and three other USA Senior National Team Members, some of whom have recently won gold medals in world competitions leading up to the Paris Olympics, scheduled between July 27 and Aug. 5.
According to EVO Gymnastics:
- The current number one gymnast in the world on parallel bars and pommel horse trains at EVO Gymnastics.
- Two EVO gymnasts were on the 2020 Men’s Gymnastics Olympic Team and one was an alternate.
- Two EVO gymnasts were on the 2021 and 2022 World Championship Teams.
- Two EVO gymnasts were on the 2023 Pan American Games Championship Team.
Five USA Senior National Team Members are aiming for a spot on the Olympic Team.
Men’s events include the floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar, while the women’s events include the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
“I’ve had the fortune of being head coach of three Olympic games, it’s a tremendous honor. And I’m watching these guys like wow, they are tracking very well for making this Olympic team and not only make it, but to go to Paris and win a medal for Team USA,” said EVO Gymnastics Executive Director Kevin Mazeika.
One of those five athletes is Brody Malone.
“I mean it took a lot of determination and grit and there’s a lot of days you come in the gym and you’re not feeling good, your body’s not feeling it, you’re not in it mentally. During those days you have to remind yourself that I’ve got a goal, I’m doing this for a reason, and you’ve got to be willing to put in the work that others aren’t willing to put in,” said Malone.
Malone puts in extra hours, arriving before practice starts and leaving after it ends.
“I usually get here about like between 45 minutes, an hour before practice starts. I’ll roll out do some extra stretching, some rehab stuff and then we train our time right now is from 9 to 1 but typically it takes a little bit longer than that so I’m here Sunday until like two and then I’ll go straight from practice to physical therapy and then just go home, cook, good meal, and then get to bed and do it again the next day,” said Malone.
Sam Mikulak, a three-time Olympian, has come full circle. Now, he coaches potential future Olympians.
“I think I can understand what any of these athletes are going through, and I’ve got a story that can resonate with them so I can connect with them and we can communicate well as we move forward,” said Mikulak.
He is confident in these athletes’ abilities to make the 2024 USA Olympic team.
“I have full confidence in these guys. They put in the work. I think that’s the best part, but beyond that, they’ve also built the camaraderie that is necessary to be able to handle those pressure situations. When you can compete as a group and as one unit, you can do so much more than if you compete on your own,” said Mikulak.