Fred Richard's First U.S. All-Around Title and the 2026 Worlds AA Race
Fred Richard claimed his first U.S. all-around title at the 2026 U.S. Championships. From an athlete's and D-score developer's view, here is how the men's all-around race at the 2026 Rotterdam World Championships shapes up against Hashimoto, Oka and Zhang.
On August 8, 2026, at the U.S. Championships in Phoenix, Arizona, Frederick "Fred" Richard captured his first U.S. men's all-around title. Coming from a Paris 2024 Olympic team bronze medalist, this win is more than a national headline: it sets the stage for the men's all-around rac
e at the 2026 Rotterdam World Championships. From the perspective of a former competitor and a D-score app developer, here is how the road to Rotterdam looks.
Note: This article reflects information as of August 15, 2026. Scores and rosters may change with upcoming competitions.
Richard Wins His First U.S. All-Around Title
170.015 in Phoenix, ahead of Olympians
Richard posted a two-day total of 170.015 to win his first U.S. all-around crown, ahead of Tokyo Olympian Shane Wiskus (167.964) and Danila Leykin (167.001), as reported by Olympics.com and USA Gymnastics. Because U.S. nationals use a two-day cumulative format, the 170-point figure is not directly comparable to a single-day international all-around total (roughly 85 points).
From Paris team bronze to national number one
Richard took all-around bronze at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp and helped the U.S. men win team bronze in Paris 2024, their first Olympic team medal
since 2008. As Forbes noted, he won with room to spare.
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Richard's Apparatus Profile
Floor and high bar are his strengths
Richard won the floor exercise title (two-day total 28.916). He is known for dynamic tumbling and a release-heavy high bar, his main all-around scoring engines. All-around success requires high D-scores and clean execution across all six apparatus.
Managing his relative weakness on pommel horse
Pommel horse has long been Richard's relative weakness. The 2026 pommel title went to Patrick Hoopes (two-day total 30.816). Pommel horse is a classic all-around pitfall, and limiting mistakes there is decisive.
Apparatus | 2026 U.S. champion | Two-day total |
|---|---|---|
Floor | Frederick Richard | 28.916 |
Pommel  horse | Patrick Hoopes | 30.816 |
Rings | Asher Cohen | 29.950 |
Vault | Kameron Nelson | 28.745 |
Parallel bars | Yul Moldauer | 29.986 |
High bar | Cooper Kim | 30.936 |
The 2026 Rotterdam World Championships
October 17–25 at Rotterdam Ahoy
The 2026 Worlds run October 17–25 at Rotterdam Ahoy, the city's third time hosting after 1987 and 2010, per the event overview and the official site. Team finals fall on Oct 20–21, the all-around final on Oct 22–23, and apparatus finals on Oct 24–25.
Qualification via continental championships
Team and individual spots are decided through the 2026 continental championships and the World Cup series under FIG rules. The European Championships in Zagreb (Aug 19–23) are a key preview.
The All-Around Title Contenders
Daiki Hashimoto (Japan)
Hashimoto is the Tokyo 2020 Olympic all-around champion and back-to-back World all-around champion (2022, 2023). He won his sixth straight All-Japan all-around title in 2026, as covered by Olympics.com.
Shinnosuke Oka (Japan)
Oka, the Paris 2024 Olympic all-around champion, is a top favorite in Rotterdam. Japan uniquely fields the two most recent Olympic all-around champions on one team.
Zhang Boheng (China)
Zhang, the 2021 World champion and Paris silver medalist, won the all-around at the June 2026 Asian Championships with 85.298. His consistency across six apparatus is elite.
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Gymnast | Country | Key credentials |
|---|---|---|
Daiki Hashimoto | Japan | Tokyo AA gold; 2x World champ |
Shinnosuke Oka | Japan | Paris 2024 AA gold |
Zhang Boheng | China | 2021 World champ; Paris silver |
Frederick Richard | USA | 2023 World AA bronze; U.S. champ |
A D-Score Perspective on the All-Around
Total value and risk management
The all-around rewards six solid apparatus over one spectacular event. Winners tend to raise the floor of weak apparatus, add difficulty on strong ones, and execute cleanly.
- Raise the weak-apparatus floor (avoid disasters on pommel horse)
- Stack D-score on strong apparatus (high bar, floor, vault)
- Win the execution margin at equal difficulty
- Secure dismount and connection bonuses
What Richard needs for the podium
To fight Hashimoto, Oka and Zhang, Richard must maximize D-score on floor and high bar while containing losses on pommel horse. With a 2023 World AA bronze already, a Rotterdam podium is realistic.
Outlook
Japan's gold strategy
Rotterdam is a genuine gold opportunity for Japan with Hashimoto and Oka, both named to the national team for the 2026 Asian Games and Worlds per Olympics.com.
Zagreb Europeans as a preview
The Zagreb European Championships (Aug 19–23) will reveal European form, with outlets like Gymnastics Now tracking selections worldwide.
Summary
- Fred Richard won his first U.S. all-around title (170.015, two-day total).
- Strengths: floor and high bar; relative weakness: pommel horse.
- 2026 Worlds: Oct 17–25 at Rotterdam Ahoy; AA final Oct 22–23.
- AA contenders: Hashimoto, Oka (Japan), Zhang (China), Richard (USA).
- All-around success is about total construction and risk management.
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