Former Gophers gymnast Shane Wiskus heading to Paris Olympics as alternate

Wiskus finished in third place in the U.S. Olympic trials on Saturday.

Shane Wiskus celebrates his rings routine during the U.S. Olympic Team Gymnastics Trials at Target Center in Minneapolis on June 29, 2024. / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Former Gophers standout Shane Wiskus will be an alternate for the U.S. men’s gymnastics team at the Paris Olympics following a third-place finish in the Olympic trials Saturday in Minneapolis. 

Wiskus finished with an all-around score of 169.65 — just behind Brody Malone in second place (170.3) and Frederick Richard in first place (170.5). Richard was guaranteed a spot on the team with the first-place finish, while a formula was used to decide the rest of the five-man squad that features Richard, Malone, Asher Hong, Paul Juda and Stephen Nedoroscik.

While Wiskus — who was on the 2020 Olympic squad in Tokyo — finished ahead of several of those members in the all-around, better performances on individual events left him as an alternate as teams choose three-member squads to compete in each individual event at the Olympics. 

Wiskus did post the highest score on the floor exercise (28.95) and the second-highest on the high bar (27.45) but was not within the top five competitors on the parallel bars or the pommel horse, and he posted the fifth-highest scores on the still rings (28.1) and vault (28.9). 

Wiskus, a Spring Park, Minn., native, is a decorated Gophers alum who attended the U from 2018-21. During his senior season in 2021, Wiskus won the Nissen-Emery Award, which is given to the most outstanding senior collegiate gymnast in the nation. 

Richard posted top-three finishes in three of the six events to run away with the all-around. 

The Olympics take place from July 27-Aug. 11.