Paul Juda, an American artistic gymnast, helped his team win a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships. He is currently a member of the U.S. men’s national team and competes for the Michigan Wolverines in NCAA gymnastics. He has been chosen to represent the United States at the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics.
Who is Paul Juda?
Paul Juda was raised in Deerfield, Illinois by his parents Ewa Bacher and Jozef Juda, who had immigrated from Poland. He completed his high school education at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
At the 2016 Junior Olympic National Championships, Juda claimed the gold medal in floor exercise and secured silver medals on parallel bars and high bars. In May 2017, he participated in the 2017 Junior Olympic National Championships, earning a gold medal in the all-around category.
Later in August of the same year, he took part in the 2017 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships for the junior division, where he secured a silver medal in both the all-around and on still rings and parallel bars.
At the 2018 Winter Cup for junior competitors, Paul Juda secured the top spot on floor exercise and second place on both still rings and parallel bars. Later that year in August at the U.S. National Gymnastics Championships for junior athletes, he claimed gold on still rings and placed sixth on both pommel horse and floor exercise.
He participated in the 2019 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships in August 2019, where he earned a bronze medal on the horizontal bar and achieved a score of 159.850, securing 13th place. As a result of his impressive performance, he was selected to be a part of the United States men’s national junior gymnastics team.
Gymnast Career
In February 2021, Paul Juda competed at the Winter Cup. He placed fourth on parallel bars with a score of 13.900 and sixth in the all-around with a score of 79.850.
During the 2021 NCAA season, he won 13 event titles. He was also the top-ranked all-around gymnast in the country. His national qualifying average was 86.167.
Paul Juda was the top-ranked gymnast on the high bar nationally and in the Big Ten on parallel bars. He also ranked second in the league in three other events.
He helped his team advance to the NCAA Championship, where he won silver and helped his team win bronze. After the season, he was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and CGA National MVP.
He participated in the 2021 Pan American Gymnastics Championships in June of 2021 and was awarded a silver medal in the all-around category with a score of 83.000. This achievement earned him a spot in the Olympic Trials.
In March 2022, Juda competed at the Cairo World Cup, winning silver on the floor and horizontal bar. During the 2022 NCAA season, he won 11 event titles and was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week twice. Juda led the conference on parallel bars and high bars.
With a season-best score of 86.100, Paul Juda became the top all-arounder in the Big Ten. He won the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year award again, making him the second Michigan gymnast to win it multiple times. He won the all-around competition at the 2022 Big Ten Tournament Championship with a score of 85.350.
Juda’s score of 14.500 on the high bar earned him a title. This victory on the high bar was the 15th for the program and the first since Sam Mikulak in 2013. Additionally, Juda was recognized as the Big Ten Gymnast of the Championships.
In the 2022 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship, Juda won the all-around, vault titles, and helped Michigan get third place with their best score of the season. He also got second on the high bar, fourth on parallel bars, and eighth on floor and rings. He tied the school record of six All-America honors.
In 2023, Paul Juda missed the season due to injury. On April 13, he won the Nissen-Emery Award. Juda returned to competition in August at the Core Hydration Classic, placing third all-around, third on vault, and third on horizontal bar.
At the Xfinity Nationals, he got sixth in the all-around but won the floor title. The next day, he made the team for the World Championships with Asher Hong, Khoi Young, Yul Moldauer, Fred Richard, and alternate Colt Walker.
At the World Championships, Juda helped the USA qualify for the team final in second place. He also qualified for the vault and horizontal bar finals. During the team final, he contributed scores on rings, vault, and horizontal bar toward the USA’s third-place finish. His contributions helped the USA win their first team medal in nine years.
In the 2024 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship, Juda won the floor title with a score of 14.800. He came in second on the vault with a score of 15.133. He helped Michigan become the runner-up in the team competition. This was Michigan’s first floor title since 1992.
At the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, Paul Juda came fourth in the all-around with a score of 168.850. He also got second on floor, third on pommel horse, fifth on high bar, sixth on still rings, and thirteenth on parallel bars. On June 29, he was chosen for the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
