The Yul Moldauer comeback is no longer a question. It is a season, and it is going well.
The 2020 Olympian and two-time World Championships bronze medalist returned to the GymnasticsVille Podcast for his second sit-down of 2026, and the conversation covered far more than his own results. Moldauer opened up on the wave of comebacks sweeping the sport, what an Olympic Games on American soil would mean to him, his move back to the University of Oklahoma, and the upgrades he is bringing to the US Championships in Phoenix.
A Comeback Season That Moved Fast
Since the last time Moldauer joined the show, the schedule has been relentless. He won silver in the all-around and gold on parallel bars at Winter Cup. He competed at the American Cup, where the team took silver. He traveled to Germany. He made the Pan American Championships team out of national team camp, then won parallel bars gold while helping Team USA punch its ticket to the 2026 World Championships.
Moldauer described the pace as something closer to a college season than a traditional elite buildup.
Things went quick right after Rocky Mountain Open. Two weeks later it was Winter Cup. Two weeks later it was American Cup, two weeks later it was Germany. Honestly, I almost jumped into like a mini NCAA season.
Yul Moldauer
He was candid that the results have not been flawless, and that he is still chasing the version of himself he wants to be on the floor. What has changed is the framing around it.
I go in there with two mindsets. I want to win and I love this sport. And nothing else matters. I don’t care about the judges. I don’t care about the competition. I am there to show off my gymnastics and prove that I still belong in the gymnastics world.
Yul Moldauer
Why the Yul Moldauer Comeback Is Part of Something Bigger
Moldauer is not returning alone. Suni Lee announced her own return this month. Jade Carey and Katelyn Ohashi have already competed. On the men’s side, longtime friend Marvin Kimble put the grips back on and competed at qualifiers, a return Moldauer said he initially thought was a joke when Kimble mentioned it at Winter Cup.
Asked for his reaction to three of the sport’s biggest names returning at once, Moldauer said he was excited but not surprised.
All three of those names are such big names in the sport. So to see them come back, no matter their age or their achievements, to see them want to come back to gymnastics, that’s special. I think it shows how special this sport is.
Yul Moldauer
He pointed to time spent on tour with Ohashi as the reason her return did not shock him, saying he watched her train beam, floor, and dance and came away convinced she still had it. On Lee, he said he could see it coming.
Moldauer credited the shift to how much the sport has evolved around athlete longevity, from recovery technology to the relationship between athletes and their medical staff.
There isn’t a limit to gymnastics. It’s how you take care of your body. Are you still motivated? What type of coaching are you going to go through?
Yul Moldauer
He also noted the collapse of the old wall between NCAA and elite competition, pointing to Carey and Lee as athletes who proved it could be done, and to current Oklahoma gymnasts heading to the US Classic. It is a theme GymnasticsVille has tracked across the sport, including in recent conversations with adult competitors who never stopped. For more of that coverage, see our Elite Gymnastics section.
LA 2028 and the Pull of a Home Olympics
When the conversation turned to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Moldauer’s answer came fast.
I’ve just got goosebumps thinking about it. I think about what American Cup was and just feeling that home crowd energy, and to feel that at the Olympic Games and to be at the Olympic Games almost in your backyard.
Yul Moldauer
He argued the home Games are a factor behind the current wave of returns, saying he would try to come back at 50 years old if he were healthy, because the Olympics carry a weight that no other competition does. He also floated a name that stopped the conversation cold, suggesting he would not be surprised if Nastia Liukin put the grips back on.
Asked to build a dream comeback roster on the men’s side, Moldauer rattled off Steven Legendre, Jake Dalton, Chris Brooks, Danell Leyva, Alexander Artemev, and Jonathan Horton, with a nod to Kevin Tan on rings and Brody Malone as the modern name he would most want to see back.
Back at Oklahoma Under Mark Williams
The biggest structural change of Moldauer’s year was leaving 5280 Gymnastics in Colorado and returning to train at the University of Oklahoma, where he competed collegiately under coach Mark Williams.
He did not hold back on the facility.
It is not world class, it is Olympic class. And you have anything you need there, from recovery to nutrition, to sports medicine, to the trainer, to the coaching staff, to the environment, to the energy. It’s beyond measurable.
Yul Moldauer
Moldauer was equally clear that the decision was difficult, and he spoke at length about his gratitude to the coaches and families who shaped him in Colorado. He described the move as a matter of following where his heart pointed rather than ranking one program above another.
Now back in Norman, he sees a role beyond his own training. Moldauer said he wants to model what he called a dog mentality for the younger Oklahoma gymnasts: put your head down, trust the coaching staff, and accept that not every day will be a good one.
Not every day is going to be great, but you can always try and be great.
Yul Moldauer
Phoenix, Upgrades, and the World Team Push
The Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships arrive in Phoenix from August 6 to 9, and Moldauer is bringing new content to the floor. He is back to a 5.7 difficulty set on parallel bars, and he is adding a laid out double double on rings, a triple double on high bar, a cassina, and a rebuilt floor routine that reintroduces the double layout full.
His stated goal is simple and familiar to anyone who has covered him: 12 for 12.
I want to be a guy that they can rely on again. When you raise your hand, if it’s ugly, it’s ugly, but stay on and fight.
Yul Moldauer
Phoenix is the last major checkpoint before the 2026 World Championships in Rotterdam this October, and Moldauer made no secret of wanting a spot on that team. He also said he is looking forward to seeing teammates he has not competed alongside in more than two years.
His closing message was aimed at fans planning their August.
Come see us, come support us. You never know when this could be the last time to see one of your favorite gymnasts.
Yul Moldauer
Watch the Full Episode
The full conversation with Yul Moldauer is streaming now on the GymnasticsVille YouTube channel, and available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. For more long form interviews with the people shaping the sport, browse our full podcast archive.
By Mubarak Simmons
Follow Yul Moldauer at yulmoldauer.com and on Instagram.
