‘Flips’ Richard ready to make name for himself in Summer Olympics

By Rebecca Cohen Frederick “Flips” Richard is already making a name for himself in men’s gymnastics as he soars into the Olympic trials, having recently clinched the No. 2 spot at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, but he has been captivating an audience on social media for years and has big plans for the sport’s future. Richard, 20, grew up in Stoughton, Massachusetts and first hit the gym at twoyears old. After his parents saw him on their bed throwing flips he’d seen in his older sister’s gymnastics classes, they decided to put him in class, too. But he wouldn’t listen to the instructors at that age so his parents took him back when he was four. Competitions started when he was six, and he “never did another sport.” Starting young helped Richard build a strong foundation, he said. Not only was he required to repeat levels to stay within age parameters, but he was also training with kids three years his senior. And then I compete against kids my age and destroy them,” Richard said. Now a rising junior at the University of Michigan, where he trains and competes, he’s on the precipice of fulfilling a dream shared by many...