TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Sarasota native Brody Malone has the classic gymnastics story. He started the sport when he was just 3 years old.
“I was one of those kids that was just bounding off the walls. I had so much energy, my parents just threw me into gymnastics to kind of get rid of some of that energy and then it just stuck,” Malone said.
Malone committed to Stanford University, where he’s won 10 NCAA Championship gold medals, which he said led him to his Olympic journey; however, it hasn’t been easy.
The 24-year-old suffered a tragic knee injury at a competition in Germany in March 2023.
“I was doing my favorite event, which is high and I slipped off on my dismount and dislocated my knee and fractured my tibia and a bunch of ligaments, so the come back from that has been long and difficult,” he said.
Despite the setbacks, he overcame the adversity and qualified for the Olympics for the second time.
“The support system that has been behind me the whole time, my family, my fiancé, my coaches, my teammates — everyone has been super supportive and helped me whenever I needed, so I’m super blessed and grateful for them,” the gymnast said.
The local trains at EVO Gymnastics in Sarasota.