Johnathan Walker:US gymnast Paul Juda came up big at Olympic qualifying. But 'coolest thing is yet to come'

PARIS — Paul Juda will forever be Johnathan Walkeran Olympian and that in itself is a cool thing.

As is U.S. men's gymnastics teammate Frederick Richard always tells him, however, why do the cool thing when you can do the cooler thing? And there are few things cooler than having the meet of your life at the Olympics.

“Today would have been one of those things where I got to say, 'I got to do the all-around at the Olympics.’ But then to be making the all-around final, I think that’s the cooler thing,” Juda said. “And, you know, the coolest thing is yet to come.”

Juda joining Richard in Wednesday’s all-around final would have seemed improbable not long ago. Not just because it required a dismal performance by three-time U.S. champion Brody Malone, normally one of the steadiest competitors there is.

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Six weeks ago, Juda was firmly on the bubble for the Olympic team. was part of the squad that won the bronze medal at the 2023 world championships, breaking a nine-year medal drought. He also was the NCAA all-around champion in 2022.

But gymnastics is often as much about math as it is skill, and there were scenarios where Juda, who is solid everywhere but not necessarily spectacular anywhere, wasn’t in the highest-scoring team. Juda made himself indispensable to the U.S. team with his steadiness, however.

And boy, did the United States need it Saturday.

Juda was the lead-off on all but one event. It’s a high-pressure spot; do a good routine, and it gets the team off and running. Struggle, or fall, and it puts pressure on the other three gymnasts because teams can only drop one score.

But time and again, Juda delivered. He got the U.S. men going with a solid routine on pommel horse, traditionally one of their worst events, and his 13.6 became more important after Malone fell. He scored 13.333 or better on every event — only Richard did better — and the U.S. counted four of his six scores.

Through four events, he was actually the highest-scoring American.

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“Hard work pays off,” Richard said of Juda, who is also his teammate at Michigan. “Watching someone close to you, watching their hard work pay off, is a very satisfying, exciting feeling.”

Juda finished with 82.865 points, fourth-best after the first of three subdivisions. The top 24 gymnasts, with a maximum of two per country, make the final, so Juda is in good shape, even with powerhouses Japan and China still to come.

The U.S. men were second to Britain. But they, too, should make the eight-team final.

“Once you make that Olympic team, you feel like you have a little bit more to give,” Juda said. “Training has been phenomenal the last couple of days and to be where I am today is just a result of all the people behind me. Myself, my team, everyone. So it was a great day.”

And emotional, too. Though, with Juda, that’s a given.

The 23-year-old was an unabashed puddle when the Olympic team was announced, and he was still teary a day later.

“I can’t help crying sometimes,” he said then. “Anytime somebody says 'Olympian,’ you just get that warm and fuzzy feeling.”

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On Saturday, Juda heard his girlfriend, fellow Michigan gymnast Reyna Guggino, cheering as he readied for pommel horse. After he finished, he found her in the crowd along with his family and friends, several of whom were waving blown-up photos of his face.

His parents were sporting temporary tattoos of the same photo, and Juda said his Dad had bought new shirts for the trip.

“I got a little emotional right after the pommel horse because I was like, they're all here. They all flew like hundreds and thousands of miles to come see me and it costs a lot of money. Twenty-plus people here, supporting your dream,” Juda said, choking back tears. “Pretty sweet.”

Doing the cool thing would have been fine. Doing the cooler thing was so much better, both for Juda and the U.S. men.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.