Brody Malone has been poised for his moment on the Olympic stage for a long time. He won 10 NCAA Championship gold medals, a World Championship gold and a pair of Pan American Championship gold medals. He was a factor in helping the United States place fifth in the 2021 Olympics, but the 2024 Paris Games have been the big target ahead for him.
His chances of making it to the 2024 Paris Olympics appeared to be all but gone in March 2023. Malone lost his grip on the high bar during a competition in Germany, and he fell to the mat, landing awkwardly on his right leg. The instant he hit the mat, he knew the injury was serious.
The diagnosis confirmed his fears. He had sustained a dislocated knee, fractured tibia, and several torn ligaments, according to The Washington Post. Malone underwent surgery immediately in Germany and would need further procedures when he reached the United States.
Improbably, Malone is back on the world stage and proving again why he is considered among the best. He placed first in all-around at the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, and now he'll look to punch his ticket to the Olympics for the second time in his career at the 2024 Olympic Trials.
How did Malone work his way back from this severe injury? Here's what you need to know.
Brody Malone injury timeline
March 18, 2023: Malone was participating in the high bar when he decided to dismount. He recalled to Gymnastics Now how his left hand peeled off the bar, and as he was in the air, he thought he could pull a half out and, per Malone, "land it and still beat Daiki [Hashimoto]."
"That was exactly what was going through my head in the air, and then I landed. I'm like, 'Oh, nevermind,'" Malone said.
The awkward landing resulted in a tibial plateau fracture, which Malone explained meant that at the place where the tibia and femur meet, the tibia rotated and bent the wrong way "and a little piece of the top chipped off and fractured, likely completely away from the bone."
Malone had an external fixation device placed on his knee to stabilize his leg in Germany and allow him to travel back to Stanford. Thus began a wave of surgeries to repair the remainder of the damage to his leg.
Upon arriving at Stanford, he immediately underwent a second surgery to fix the fracture, per Gymnastics Now. Their surgeons also repaired the cartilage damage to his knee and operated on his torn meniscus. He wasn't done, however, as he would need to have another operation later.
June 2023: Four weeks after his second surgery, Malone underwent an MRI to evaluate the remainder of the damage to his knee. There, it was discovered he had a fully torn LCL and partially torn PCL, he told Gymnastics Now. It surprised him to learn his ACL and MCL were intact.
"I just assumed that pretty much everything in my knee was going to be gone," Malone told Gymnastics Now.
Malone had his final operation in June, according to The Washington Post. That ended the medical process, but then came getting back from the injury.
July 2023: Returning from that serious of an injury meant a wave of physical therapy, including re-learning how to walk. Malone shared video of him walking on July 12, 2023.
During Malone's healing process, the timeline was placed to try and have him prepared for the Olympic Trials in June, according to the Associated Press — an ambitious feat given the severity of his injury.
Fall 2023: Malone's recovery was swift. The Washington Post reported by the fall, he was back to performing on the high bar. His knee was wrapped in a brace, and when he concluded the routine, he landed on his back to avoid risking damage to his knee.
He explained that watching the U.S. men's gymnastics team compete in the 2024 World Championships in Belgium only continued to propel his recovery.
"It motivated me a lot," Malone said, per the Post, "because I want to be a part of the team that does it in Paris."
January 2024: Malone continued to show progress with his recovery, flipping, and landing on a TumbleTrak, according to the Associated Press.
March 2024: Not long after practice on the TumbleTrak, which is essentially a large trampoline, Malone returned to the floor, another major test in his recovery ability, per the AP.
May 2024: The major test for Malone came in late May. He was slated to return to the U.S. Championships, the first competition he would face since his knee injury.
Malone was sensational in the events, shining in the still rings, pommel horse, and parallel bars, scoring 14.000 in all but one of 12 routines, according to the Associated Press. He finished the event with an all-around score of 172.300 to win the championship.
"With everything I've gone through, to be able to come back, make a comeback like I have, and be competitive enough to be on the top again, it feels amazing," Malone said.
June 2024: Next for Malone is the Olympic trials, where he will look to make his trip to Paris official.
