Olympic Gymnast Fred Richard Says He's "Sleeping Like a King" After Shipping Bed to Paris
The 20-year-old has been "sleeping like a king" during his stay at the Olympic Village, and his recent success might have been a result.
Massachusetts gymnast Fred Richard is not only hoping to count medals at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris… he’s also counting sheep.
On Saturday, July 27, 2024, Richard and Paul Juda qualified for the men’s gymnastics individual all-around, and Team USA placed second in their subdivision, a victory Richard discussed with NBC Boston affiliate WBTS-CD. It was an unexpected and stunning feat since Richard scored higher than the man poised to win, three-time national champion Brody Malone.
“I think I got the jitters out today; I think that was the big thing, you know, do the job, qualify to the next days, but get the nerves out,” Richard said on Saturday. “I mean, this is my first time on the biggest stage. I definitely was feeling it today, but it was fun.”
Richard’s secret to success? Perhaps a good night’s sleep.
Richards' Smart Planning Pays Off
Fred Richard took no chances by sleeping on the now-infamous cardboard beds provided to the rest of the Olympic athletes at the Olympic Village, he told reporters. Instead, he had his own mattress shipped in to help him rest up.
“I’ve been sleeping like a king the days here. It’s been amazing,” he said. “I’ve been watching you guys complain about the matts is funny.”
Richard had already stated his plans to have his own mattress shipped in. On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, he said, “Everyone’s complaining about the beds and stuff,” prompting him to bring in a “comfy” one, according to USA Today.
“I want to sleep in the room like it’s my own room, be comfortable,” said the 20-year-old 2023 World bronze-medalist. “You know, we’re at the Olympics. We’re at the biggest event. I want to live like a king over here. That’s basically my mindset, so I got a nice, comfy bed.”
The sports’ governing body, USA Gymnastics, stated that Team members already had access to mattress toppers and bed-cooling systems. However, Richard was the only male gymnast to take the initiative of bringing one in from the outside, according to USA Today.
His teammate, Juda, had no complaints when speaking alongside Richard.
“Not me, not me,” Juda said. “I think the mattresses are good.”
More About the Infamous Cardboard Beds
The eco-friendly single-person beds at the Olympic Village, equipped with cardboard frames, remain a hot talking point, especially as Olympians from all sports and nations let viewers into their dorms via social media. The accommodations gained recognition during the 2020 Games in Tokyo when, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) hoped to deter athletes from having sex, lending to the nickname “anti-sex beds.”
However, the stated idea for the cardboard bed was to implement sustainability.
According to Olympics.com, 16,000 mattresses have been provided for the Paris Games and will be allocated to 2,800 Olympic Village dorms, though athletes could choose from one of four “different foam densities.”
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“After the competitions, they will not be thrown away but donated to a number of beneficiaries, including the French Army, Emmaüs, the Opéra de Paris dance school, and the Tsuji hotel school,” per the Olympics.
Other Olympians Review the Beds
Australian swimmer Tilly Kearns brought a mattress topper and a second pillow to remedy sleeping atop the “rock-hard cardboard beds,” she said in a Tuesday, July 23, 2024, TikTok post.
“I’m so grateful because I was waking up every second hour. I actually thought about going on the floor… thought about it, I didn’t do it,” she said. “You’ll be expecting some gold-medal performances from here on out.”
Meanwhile, like Richard, Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjöström said she was “grateful” to have her own mattress shipped in, according to Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
As for the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team, Simone Biles, Jade Carey, and Suni Lee already gave a tour of their sleeping arrangements — cardboard beds included, as previously reported. British Diver Tom Daley also published a fun video on Instagram, demonstrating the sturdiness of the beds by jumping.
Australian tennis champion Daria Saville took it a step further by testing her bed with various exercises, beating the mattress with a racquet, and even dancing the worm, as seen on TikTok.
Thankfully, both she and the mattress survived.
