On a stage full of Team USA gymnastics stars, Yul Moldauer certainly stood out. While Moldauer has certainly had his fair share of success in the gym—two World Championship bronze medals, eight Pan-American Games golds, and 10 NCAA championships are nothing to sneer at—it was Moldauer’s personality that showed through during the gymnastics panel at the 2024 Team USA Media Summit in New York City.
Whether it is how he approaches a competition or how he handles social media, it is clear that the Team USA gymnastics “hype man” has his own style for how he deals with things both inside and outside of the gym.
“Yeah, I love being the hype man,” Moldauer said of the role. “It’s kind of a fun job. I want to go out there and compete. I want it to feel like a show. I feel like once you make it a show, it’s kind of not even like a competition. You get in your zone, you get your teammates in your zone, you can just enjoy the competition.”
During competitions, Moldauer has his own unique approach to how he competes.
While his fellow gymnasts on stage seemed to prefer to focus more on themselves and not pay attention to the events happening around them, Moldauer has a different approach.
“I’m like fired up. I’m looking at all the other competitors, letting them know that I’m ready for this moment, and I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” Moldauer said. “I’m looking at my teammates and going out there 200 percent. I’m just telling myself, let's go.”
And, when it comes to watching his competition, Moldauer said, “I’m seeing how they’re doing, and I’m like, okay, that’s what they’ve got. I can beat that.”
Outside the gym, social media is another area where Yul takes a different approach from his teammates. Unlike his teammates, who try to minimize the distractions that can come from social media, Moldauer seems to relish the opportunities that social media brings.
While some of his teammates might have managers, friends, or family help run their social media accounts, Moldauer says he likes to run his own accounts because he believes it allows him to be his authentic self. As for the detractors that might show up in his social media comment sections, Moldauer said, “At the end of the day, I don’t care what people say online because if you're going to say something nasty, come say it to my face,” adding that he knows he has more supporters than doubters.
In a pressure-filled event, such as the Olympics, perhaps Moldauer’s philosophy is a good one.
“I understand that no matter what situation I’m in, I’m always going to feel pressure, nerves, everything, and that’s part of why I signed up to be an athlete," Moldauer said. "I knew that I was going to have to compete in front of crowds. I knew that nerves were going to be playing a factor, so for me, it’s just being honest with myself and thinking about how elite athletes go through this."
Yul added, "I bet you Tom Brady gets nervous when he’s going out and competing in the Super Bowl in front of millions of people, so for me, it was my chance to show that I can handle things, and I want the other guys to know that they can handle it too.”
Be sure to check out JerseySportingNews.com during the Olympics for more coverage on Moldauer and Team USA.
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