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Fred Richard recently sent the internet into a frenzy when he attempted the viral TikTok challenge 'Flip into Shorts' during an interview.
Richard and his gymnastic pursuits have amassed a huge following on social media. The American gymnast continues to pursue his Olympic dreams, along with a fervent desire to be a social media entertainer.
He recently appeared on the Good Morning America show to celebrate Black History Month. Fred Richard spoke on a variety of topics from the future of gymnastics to his desire to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"Imagine every single day you have five months to give everything. So its eating right, sleeping right, and puting in hours in the gym," he said about training for Paris Olympics.
In another segment of the show, Fred decided to show some of his gymnastics skills. He attempted a challenge called 'Flip into Shorts' that went viral on TikTok. It required him to land into a pair of shorts after bouncing off a trampoline and flipping in the air. Fred's father and uncle held the shorts. The youngster was successful in completing the challenge.
Watch Fred Richard ace the 'Flip into Shorts' challenge at 3:20:
Richard landed in one attempt. However, just after landing, he wore the shorts correctly, ultimately completing the challenge.
Fred Richard's Junior Gymnastics career
Fred Richard started gymnastics at the age of four. Over the years, he improved tremendously. He made his elite-level national debut in 2019 at the age of 15. In his first competition at the National Championships, Richard won the bronze medal in the floor exercise and stood eighth overall.
The following year, he competed in the Winter Cup and the Elite Team Cup. However, his 2020 season was cut short due to the pandemic.
The 19-year-old took advantage of the time he had during the pandemic and started spending time on social media, especially Tik Tok where he grew his following immensely. According to him, such growth and following helped him boost his gymnastics career.
Richard clinched the national title in the junior all-around event. The performance helped him to be a part of the team that was competing at the Junior Pan American Championships. The team clinched the gold medal, with Richard winning individual gold medals in the horizontal bar, vault, and all-around.
