MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Fred Richard and Brody Malone moved closer to a trip to the Olympics with solid performances during the opening night of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials.

Richard, a junior a Michigan, posted an all-around score of 85.600 on Thursday night to lead Malone, a three-time national champion, by a half-point. Malone is at 85.100. Shane Wiskus, a 2020 Olympian along with Malone, is third at 84.300.

The all-around leader after Saturday night could earn an automatic spot on the five-man team if he also places in the top three on three different events. That's unlikely to happen — a nod to the depth the Americans have cultivated — but Richard seems poised to make his Olympic debut while Malone's trip to Paris is all but assured three years after he finished 10th in the all-around in Tokyo.

Richard, who won bronze in the all-around at the 2023 world championships, shook off a slow start with dazzling sets on both parallel bars and high bar. The charismatic 20-year-old — who flipped into a pose during introductions — is also likely to hear his name called when the Olympic team is announced.

The same goes for Malone. Heady territory for an athlete whose career appeared to be in jeopardy following a “catastrophic” knee injury suffered at a World Cup event in Germany in March 2023. He returned to all-around competition at the U.S. Championships earlier this month, where he beat Richard by more than two points.

Malone appears to be getting stronger the further removed he is from the injury. He began his second Olympic trials by ditching the bulky brace that protects his surgically repaired knee on vault. The knee held up just fine as Malone stuck the landing. His score of 14.6 was the second-best of the night on the event and set the tone for six relatively drama-free rotations.

After Richard and Malone, things get murky.

Khoi Young, Yul Moldauer, Asher Hong and Paul Juda — all of whom joined Richard on the U.S. team that claimed bronze at 2023 worlds — dealt with issues along the way.

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games