LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky International Convention Center buzzed with anticipation Saturday night as the 2026 Men’s Senior Winter Cup delivered both dominant performances and compelling comeback stories. When the dust settled, Frederick Richard had claimed his first-ever Winter Cup all-around title and the early message to the gymnastics world was unmistakable: the 2026 season is already shaping up to be one for the ages.
Richard won with a commanding 84.359, a margin of victory exceeding 4.5 points that left little doubt about who was the class of the field. But the evening’s richest story may have been written in silver, as Yul Moldauer stepped back onto the national stage for the first time in over a year, answering every question about his return with a 79.710 and a parallel bars gold medal.
Frederick Richard: Winter Cup Champion at Last
If you needed a reminder of just how good Frederick Richard is, Saturday provided it in full. The University of Michigan standout, who returned to the U.S. just days after serving as a Team USA Creator at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, arrived in Louisville and immediately looked like he had never left the competitive floor.
Richard went six-for-six across all events, winning floor exercise (14.355) and earning bronze on pommel horse (13.952), horizontal bar (13.850), and still rings (13.800). He accomplished all of this while absorbing a three-tenth uniform deduction for his out-of-compliance gymnastics attire — an ongoing effort by the 21-year-old to expand the clothing options available to male gymnasts. His non-bonus all-around score of 83.650 would have been good for bronze at the 2025 World Championships — a competition he watched from home.
The performance carried extra weight given the context. Richard finished second at last year’s Winter Cup, was left off the 2025 World Championship team despite finishing runner-up at U.S. Championships, and has clearly spent the offseason with something to prove. On the free YouTube livestream, USA Gymnastics tapped 2024 Olympic team member Paul Juda alongside Christian Marsh, a six-time USAG Collegiate All-American, 2023 Nissen-Emery Award Finalist, and William & Mary standout, to call the men’s competition. The accomplished pairing brought genuine athlete perspective to every routine, with Juda noting Richard’s visibly improved physical condition and marveling, “I see no tape. What that tells me is that he is healthy, and when Fred Richard is healthy, he is a problem for everyone.”
Moldauer’s Return: A Standing Ovation in Silver
Few storylines in American gymnastics carried more weight going into this weekend than the return of Yul Moldauer. The 29-year-old Tokyo Olympian and four-time Winter Cup champion served a 16-month suspension after accumulating three whereabouts filing failures within a 12-month period. He missed the entire 2025 season, including the World Championships in Jakarta, and was eligible to return to competition only on January 13, 2026.
Moldauer has been unequivocal in accepting responsibility: “I received the sixteen-month suspension because I had three whereabouts failures. Those failures are on me. I am responsible for following the rules completely and I fell short of that. It really is that simple.” His focus now, he has made clear, is on rebuilding trust and competing his way back to the top in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Saturday, the gymnastics world got its first major answer. Moldauer took all-around silver at 79.710 — remarkable given that he only returned to training roughly three months ago. He won parallel bars gold with a 14.955 and added rings silver at 14.055. It was the kind of performance that signals to selectors, teammates, and rivals alike that Yul Moldauer has unfinished business.
Completing the Podium: Shamah Earns Bronze
Stanford’s David Shamah (McKinney, Texas) rounded out an impressive all-around podium with a 79.608, earning bronze and adding parallel bars silver (14.808) in the process. The Stanford junior showed consistent, clean gymnastics throughout, and his performance will strengthen his case for international assignments as the season progresses.
Apparatus Champions: Depth on Full Display
Saturday’s single-session format put apparatus honors on the line alongside the all-around, and the results showcased the remarkable depth of the American men’s program. Ohio State’s Parker Thackston was the class of the pommel horse competition with a commanding 15.325, while EVO Gymnastics’ Danila Leykin took the high bar title at 14.658. Nebraska’s Christopher Hiser won rings with a 14.352, and Illinois’ Garrett Schooley topped vault at 14.135.
The livestream commentary from Juda and Marsh also highlighted several compelling performances deeper in the standings. Shane Wiskus, the 2020 Olympian who spent much of 2025 recovering from shoulder surgery, competed with the quiet determination of someone rebuilding his case for LA 2028. EVO Gymnastics’ Jackson Harrison turned in floor routines featuring three double-layout type elements that prompted pure astonishment from the broadcast booth. And Josh Karnes showed the kind of difficulty that has his gym’s coaching staff bullish about the months ahead.
2026 Senior Men’s National Team & International Assignments Announced
Following competition, USA Gymnastics announced the full 2026 Senior Men’s National Team Presented by Xfinity, a 16-athlete roster, along with a four-member Senior Development Team and international competition assignments for the spring. The team was selected under procedures combining automatic selections, including athletes who represented Team USA at the 2025 World Championships, with the Winter Cup all-around champion and additional athletes via the Men’s Points Program and discretionary criteria.
Notably, world champions Brody Malone and Donnell Whittenburg, along with Patrick Hoopes, all of whom did not compete at Winter Cup, were named to the team automatically based on their 2025 World Championship credentials. Four new faces also join the roster: Crew Bold (University of Michigan), Danila Leykin (EVO Gymnastics), David Shamah (Stanford University), and Parker Thackston (Ohio State University), each earning their spots through strong Winter Cup performances. Their collective return to full competition form will be a key storyline as the season builds toward U.S. Championships in Phoenix.
2026 Senior Men’s National Team Presented by Xfinity
Crew Bold — Delray Beach, Fla. / University of Michigan Cairo World Cup
Taylor Burkhart — Arvada, Colo. / Stanford University
Brandon Dang — San Jose, Calif. / University of Illinois Antalya World Cup, Osijek World Cup
Asher Hong — Tomball, Texas / Stanford University American Cup, DTB Pokal Team Challenge
Patrick Hoopes — Lehi, Utah / U.S. Air Force Academy Antalya World Cup, Cairo World Cup
Josh Karnes — Erie, Pa. / EVO Gymnastics DTB Pokal Team Challenge
Danila Leykin — Sarasota, Fla. / EVO Gymnastics American Cup, DTB Pokal Team Challenge
Riley Loos — El Dorado Hills, Calif. / Stanford University
Brody Malone — Aragon, Ga. / EVO Gymnastics
Yul Moldauer — Arvada, Colo. / 5280 Gymnastics American Cup, DTB Pokal Team Challenge
Kameron Nelson — Columbus, Ohio / EVO Gymnastics DTB Pokal Team Challenge, Osijek World Cup
Dante Reive — West Point, N.Y. / West Point Gymnastics
Frederick Richard — Stoughton, Mass. / University of Michigan
David Shamah — McKinney, Texas / Stanford University
Parker Thackston — Surf City, N.J. / Ohio State University Cairo World Cup
Donnell Whittenburg — Baltimore, Md. / EVO Gymnastics Antalya World Cup, Osijek World Cup
Senior Development Team
Sasha Bogonosiuk — Buffalo Grove, Ill. / University of Oklahoma
Jun Iwai — Lewisville, Texas / Stanford University
Preston Ngai — Elk Grove, Calif. / University of Illinois
Nathan Roman — Poway, Calif. / University of Oklahoma
What’s Next: American Cup and Beyond
The 2026 season’s next major milestone arrives March 7, when Team USA competes at the American Cup at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. The event debuts an exciting new mixed-team format, men and women competing together, serving as a high-profile preview of the 2028 Olympic format. U.S. rosters for the American Cup will be drawn from Winter Cup results and selections.
Further down the road, the 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships will be held at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, bringing the sport’s biggest stars together for the marquee domestic event of the season. For athletes like Richard, Moldauer, and Wiskus, Phoenix represents the next critical battleground in the race toward Los Angeles 2028.
If Saturday’s performances in Louisville are any indication, the road to the next Olympics is going to be one worth watching every step of the way.
