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While the effort did not quite reach "Do you believe in miracles?" territory, for fans of Men's Gymnastics in the Olympics, the effort by the United States on Monday may have come close. The American men's team, which had not achieved a podium finish at a Summer Games in 16 years, returned to glory by capturing the bronze medal in team competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The quintet of 20-something gymnasts -- Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik and Fred Richard -- huddled for an enthusiastic (and camera-friendly) "team" shout after each of the first five rotations but saved its most zealous display for last. Reigning world champion Stephen Nedoroscik's drama-free exit from the pommel horse locked in a 14.866 score to close the competition, clinching the third-place finish for his teammates.

Nedoroscik -- a glasses-wearing 25-year-old who kept his head down, stayed to himself throughout the competition and only competed in the final event of the all-around -- was quickly enveloped in a giddy blur of red, white and blue testosterone bliss.

Japan took its eighth all-time team gold medal with 259.594 points. China followed in the standings with 259.062 as the U.S. was third with 257.793, more than two full points ahead of Ukraine in fourth.

Of the 18 individual performances the Americans put down Monday -- three athletes in each of six events -- 15 of their Monday scores exceeded what they achieved during Saturday's qualifying round. As each rotation concluded ahead of pace, spectators could feel the United States getting closer and closer to a medal.

The Americans were in position for bronze after four rotations, holding their position while belling their relative inexperience with steely-eyed floor exercises from Juda, Hong and Richard, followed by Juda, Malone and Nedoroscik on pommel horse.

Only Malone had arrived in Paris with prior Olympic experience from the 2020 Tokyo Games, though he struggled on pommel horse in Saturday qualifiers and hadn't performed in a significant international event since a devastating leg injury that warranted three subsequent surgeries following a fall from the bar just 16 months ago in Germany.

Both Richard's 14.466 on the floor and Nedoroscik's 14.866 on pommel horse were the best among six athletes in their stretch-run rotations on those events. It became apparent that a medal was ahead for the United States as Nedoroscik planted his right hand and smiled broadly mid-dismount, ending a run of three straight fifth-place Olympic finishes.

The U.S. won gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Since then, silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics and bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics have been the only medals captured by men's gymnastics in team competition over the last 40 years.