Brody Malone prepares to mount the pommel horse during the men’s all-around final at the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. (© Amy Sanderson)
Reigning world high bar champion and U.S. all-around champion Brody Malone will miss August’s U.S. Championships as he continues to recover from a significant leg injury endured at the DTB Pokal in March.
“Brody is currently undergoing treatment for his leg injury and doing everything he can to heal and get back to competing,” a rep for Malone told NBC Sports. “As of now, there is no chance he will be competing in the U.S Championships in August. However, he is working very hard and is extremely hopeful that he will make it back in time for the Paris games.”
Malone’s girlfriend, Serena Ortiz, shared a clip of the 23-year-old taking his first steps in six weeks on Monday.
“Look who started walking today! 6 weeks later…” Ortiz captioned the clip, as Malone flashed a smile while taking tentative steps with the assistance of crutches and a full leg brace.
In March, Malone sustained a knee injury during the high bar final when he peeled off the apparatus early and landed awkwardly. He received care at a local hospital before traveling home with the team.
The Stanford star was in the midst of his final season with the Cardinal before the injury. After Stanford won its fourth-straight NCAA title in April, Malone was the first person to greet his teammates when they got off the bus back in California.
Malone took over the mantle as the de facto leader of the U.S. men’s program when three-time Olympian and world medalist Sam Mikulak retired after the Tokyo Olympics. U.S. Men’s High Performance Director Brett McClure told Gymnastics Now in 2022 that the men’s team had embraced Malone and his fellow 2020 Olympic teammates Yul Moldauer and Shane Wiskus as a trio of leaders for the program moving forward. All three are expected to contend for spots on the 2024 Olympic team as the U.S. eyes a return to the team podium for the first time since 2008.
