The man who has “Flips” as his middle name cannot be just an ordinary gymnast—he’s an adventurer in every sense of the word. Where most athletes stay within the lines of competition, he redraws the entire map. His arena is the world, his equipment: gravity, grit, and a vision bigger than medals. The man is not restricted to gymnastics. Whether it’s launching himself off a pommel horse or setting a Guinness World Record, he is up for it. Talking of records, the man has yet to bag another record to his name as his flight landed in China. What is it this time?
“I’m Frederick Richard, U.S. Olympic gymnast, and I’m the first individual athlete that China has ever let train in their facility.” Yes, the gymnast who secured a bronze medal in the men’s artistic gymnastics team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics has entered the Chinese facility, where they produce some elite gymnasts to use during the Olympics and international competitions. And the best part is, they do not care if Fred is an outsider.
In the Instagram post made by the Olympian on May 11th, 2025, he says, “I’m an outsider, but they’re taking me in like I’m one of their own. I’m so thankful for that. I’m in the facility where the Olympians, the gold medalists, train in China.” The man has already tasted the water of that facility, as he posted various videos of himself practicing gymnastics moves in there. We can see him leaping the vault and balancing on the bars as well.
Fred posed with a lot of Chinese gymnasts, highlighted in the videos in the post. He said, “I’m going to be here for two weeks, training with the best guys in the world (0:22), trying to learn everything I can and share everything I know from my side of the world with them.” He also attached a video of Liu Yang doing still rings from the 2024 Olympics. The man has successfully defended his Olympic title in the men’s rings event in Paris, having previously won gold in the same event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
While we see another video of him swinging on the bars, the voiceover says, “Coaches and athletes have been training me, giving me tips on my gymnastics. They’ve got these crazy techniques. They’ve been helping me with the needling, the acupuncture, qi, teaching me all that stuff. I’m going to share it with you guys.” The man, once again attaching videos, showed us a woman helping him with his leg while another man is helping with some other medical stuff.
“They’re just giving me all the secrets. I’m so thankful. I’m ready to go. I’m excited.” The US gymnastics star is excited about one thing or another from time to time. Be it visiting China or breaking the world record.
Fred Richards breaks the backflip world record
On March 23, 2025, Frederick “Flips” Richard took to Instagram to announce his audacious plan to shatter the backflip world record. In a bold reel posted to his Instagram account, he declared, “It’s decided! I’m breaking the backflip world record,” setting his sights well beyond the current mark of 1,001 flips and aiming to raise over $100,000 in gymnastics equipment for children in Africa.
On May 2, 2025, at Premier Gymnastics in Stoughton, Massachusetts, Richard officially kicked off his 24-hour endeavor. From 5:00 pm onward, he live-streamed every backflip, grappling with the mounting fatigue as minutes stretched into hours. By late evening, he had already surpassed 800 flips and raised more than $25,000 through GoFundMe donations and auctioned artwork.
To stay on pace for the record, Richard needed to average one backflip per minute—a grueling rhythm that tested his endurance and mental focus. When the clock struck midnight on May 3, Richard had not only crossed the existing record of 1,001 flips but pressed on to land an astounding 1,111 backflips in 24 hours, officially setting the new Guinness World Record.
Alongside his athletic triumph, he had already secured over $37,000 toward his $100,000 fundraising goal.
The post ‘I’m an Outsider’: U.S. Gymnastics Star Makes Candid Confession Heading For New Adventure Days After Breaking World Record appeared first on EssentiallySports.