Olympic gymnast Brody Malone perseveres to bring God glory as Team USA wins bronze

Just months after relearning how to walk, gymnast Brody Malone helped the U.S. men’s gymnastics team secure its first Olympic medal in 16 years, all while giving glory to God.

The men’s team earned a bronze medal after solid performances by the entire team, including Malone, who overcame a disappointing individual performance on Saturday.

The Olympic crowd roared when Malone completed his horizontal bar routine without a major stumble on Monday night. The performance contributed a significant 2.5 points for the U.S. team.

“You just got to forget about it,” Malone said Monday, reflecting on his Saturday performance. “It was over and done with. There’s nothing I can do about it. I just had to focus on the next day, and that’s what we did. And it ended up working out great.” 

For Malone, this medal seemed like an impossibility just one year ago, when he was recovering from a gruesome leg injury from a dismount that went horribly wrong. 

During a March competition in Germany, Malone dismounted prematurely from the high bar, his body spinning into the mat, causing his knee to dislocate while tearing multiple ligaments and his meniscus. 

There were serious doubts that Malone would ever compete again, let alone be ready for this year’s Olympics. Yet countless hours of rehab and leaning on his Christian faith culminated in Malone’s return to competition in May. 

“First and foremost, I have to give all the glory to God,” Malone told NBC that night. “He is the only reason that I’m here standing right now and I was able to compete and do well tonight. I give all the glory to Him. It was a long recovery process, but with His help and with the help of my family, my teammates, I’m standing here competing.” 

Malone went on to win the all-around competition at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in June before securing a spot in his second Olympics earlier this month. 

“I just have to give all the glory to God,” he said of his Olympic qualification. “It’s all Him, and, yeah, it’s all God. So I just want to thank Him for this. … I’m just so grateful for everything that God’s done for me.” 

Malone, a Stanford University graduate, features Psalm 115:1 in his Instagram bio and has a single collection of reels simply labeled “bible,” highlighting which Scriptures he is currently reading.  

During February’s USA Gymnastics Winter Cup, Malone posted pictures from the event with a fitting caption from James 1:2-4, Bible verses that speak of having endurance and joy through trials.  

“God got me through it,” Malone told Inside Gymnastics of the process to get back to full strength. “And then on top of that, just my friends and family: My fiancée came out and basically took care of me when I was stuck in the bed. Just having those people close to that just helped me get through it.” 

Malone’s father is also a huge support.

After the gymnast secured the bronze medal, Malone’s father donned a “Five Gospel symbols” hat as he hugged his son. The hat includes five icons that symbolize (1) Jesus’s coming to earth; (2) dying on the cross for humanity; (3) his burial; (4) resurrection and ascension; and (5) eventual return.

“The thing that keeps me going through all that is my faith in God,” he said after receiving the team bronze. “Being able to lean on Him when times get hard is everything.”