PHOENIX (AP) — Fred Richard put himself in position to win his first U.S. national championship, surging to the lead during night one of the men’s competition Thursday night.

Richard, a key member of the 2024 U.S. men’s Olympic team that earned bronze in Paris, posted an all-around total of 84.326 to give himself a narrow 0.153-point lead over Daniela Leykin heading into Saturday night’s final.

The 22-year-old, looking to bounce back this year after failing to make the U.S. men’s national team or world championship team in 2025, began the competition with a stellar parallel bars routine and remained in front despite taking a pair of neutral deductions.

The first was intentional, Richard was docked three-tenths of a point for a uniform violation, something he has chosen to do for well over a year while opting to swap out stirrup pants for compression leggings. The judges on pommel horse also knocked three-tenths off his score after he failed to salute properly following his dismount.

Richard will be challenged by the 19-year-old Leykin and 2020 Olympian Shane Wiskus, who is in third about a point behind the leaders going into Saturday.

Pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik, whose performance in the team final in Paris assured the Americans a bronze, scored a 14.958 on his signature event as he tries to come back from multiple injuries that have limited his training over the last year.

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