You name it, Yul Moldauer has probably done it. 

Entering the 2024 season, few American gymnasts had the resume of Moldauer. He’s a two-time World medalist, eight-time Pan American champion, 10-time NCAA champion, 2017 U.S. all-around champion, and a Tokyo Olympian — and that’s just scratching the surface. (Seriously, take a scroll through his mile-long USA Gymnastics bio.)

The first few meets of the Olympic season saw Moldauer meet his usual standard. He won the 2024 Winter Cup all-around title and went on to win five gold medals at the Pacific Rim Championships.

While he narrowly missed the all-around podium at the 2024 U.S. Championships, strong performances on his best events – floor and parallel bars – and consistency kept Moldauer in the conversation for the Olympic team.

But when it came time for Olympic Trials, everything fell apart. Moldauer ended the first day of competition in sixth after a rough routine on pommel horse.

READ MORE: 2026 Winter Cup Weekend: Field, schedule, how to watch

There was still a path to the Olympic team after day one of Trials, but more mistakes on pommel horse and a worse-than-average performance on parallel bars saw Moldauer slip to ninth by the end of the meet.

Moldauer was named a non-traveling alternate for the Paris Games despite being a leader on and off the mat the entire quad.

If this disappointment wasn’t enough, Moldauer got hit with a provisional suspension in September 2024 after missing his third drug test in a 12-month period. This suspension was upped to a full 16-month ban in January 2025, with credit for time served while provisionally suspended. 

The suspension officially ended in January. Now, Moldauer is reflecting on his time away as he prepares for his return to elite competition.

A Day in the Life of a Suspended Olympian

“[The suspension] was kind of easy to me because I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to do a Kolman at 7:00 a.m.,’” Moldauer joked when Gymnastics Now caught up with him earlier this month.

In place of reps in the gym, he took up shifts at a local mason jar factory. It could have been easy for the Olympian ego to take over – especially for someone who had never had a job other than coaching gymnastics – but Moldauer entered the warehouse with an open mind. 

“I told [my boss], ‘I don’t care what I’ve done in gymnastics; I haven’t done anything at this job, so I’m gonna work as hard as I can to show you I deserve this position.’”

While he wasn’t allowed to work out in any USAG-sanctioned gyms, Moldauer still made sure to keep up with his fitness regimen when he wasn’t at the factory.

“I took the early shift… the 5:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. because I wanted to be able to get a workout. I didn’t want to have to do the [later shift] and work out until I had to go to bed.”

The work ethic Moldauer picked up as an athlete paid off in the corporate world, allowing him to lead his warehouse in several performance metrics and even help his location become one of the company’s most productive.

Somehow, between working and working out, he also found time for one of his favorite hobbies: DJing. 

Moldauer started DJing when he was 16, but he considers music to be an intrinsic part of his life as long as he can remember. Unsurprisingly, it made its way into his gymnastics career as well. 

“My first Worlds ever marching out [in 2017], I had my headphones on and it was a joke with [the team] like, ‘If you were a DJ, what would you say on the mic before you’re about to perform?’ Music helps with being nervous and taking the load off.”

Even though Moldauer’s suspension is over, he plans to keep up his DJing hobby, with a gig planned as part of Denver’s Espresso Sessions the weekend after his return to U.S. elite competition at Winter Cup. 

The Impact of the Suspension

Moldauer was quickly forced to find new ways to spend his time, as the suspension didn’t just mean a pause to his gymnastics career. In accordance with USAG regulations, he was not allowed in any USAG-affiliated gyms, and he was not allowed to stay in contact with national team members. 

“I couldn’t even talk to the little kids…it was just part of the rules,” he said. “I honestly had to separate myself entirely from gymnastics.”

Of course, Moldauer recognizes his role in the suspension, calling it something he is “embarrassed of,” and that “show[ed] a lack of responsibility.” But at the same time, the suspension gave the 29-year-old seasoned veteran time to recover and rediscover his connection to the sport. 

He recalls asking himself, “Am I doing this just to do this, or am I doing this because I love this?” 

After nearly a year and a half away, it’s clear to Moldauer that he’s in it for the love.

What He Learned

Sixteen months is a long time to be away from anything, much less the sport you’ve dedicated your entire life to. But a break can also be a learning opportunity, and for Moldauer, it was one that he thinks will make him all the better moving forward. 

“What I’ve learned from being away is that I missed gymnastics. At one point in my career, it felt like I was just doing it. Being out of it and coming back made me realize all the opportunities it brings, all the joy that it brings, all the connection that it brings, and just this gymnastics community I miss being in.”

He knows that he has the talent to succeed, but now more than ever, Moldauer is making time to give back and be a role model for up-and-coming gymnasts, investing in the same community that supported him throughout his career. 

“That’s what I’m most excited about. Being able to be in a position that guys can come up to me and ask for advice or just be a friend.”

The Big Return

Moldauer leaned on his community in his return to competition at the Rocky Mountain Open in January, which was held at his home gym, 5280 Gymnastics. He took the floor surrounded by his friends and family, rotating with his alma mater, Oklahoma.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better team to rotate with,” Moldauer said. “People that I’m familiar with, a culture that I’m familiar with, and then competing at Rocky Mountain Open, which I’ve competed at since I was a little kid.”

While he didn’t have a perfect meet, Moldauer still ended the day on the podium, finishing third in the all-around. It was a triumphant return, personally, but he knows that there is still a great deal of work to do before he’s back at an Olympic level.

“I’m not the best guy in the U.S., you know,” Moldauer admitted. 

“Brody [Malone] has two world championship titles, Don Don [Whittenburg] just won a world championships title. Stephen [Nedoroscik] is a world champion and Olympic bronze medalist, and [the] guys now have the bronze medal as a team… For me, it’s almost like I need to up my game and be on their level.”

Part of Moldauer’s journey to return to the top level of the sport will include attempting what could become an eponymous skill – a Peach half Healy on parallel bars – this season.

And, of course, another Olympic appearance is on Moldauer’s mind.

After a heartbreaking end to the 2024 season that saw Moldauer watch his team from home, he’s ready to get back on the sport’s biggest stages, representing Team USA once more.

Before Moldauer can compete for an Olympic team spot, he knows that he has to prove himself to his teammates and USAG leadership that he is still a leader for the U.S. men’s program despite this setback.

“I want to gain their trust. Taking a year-and-a-half off and getting older are factors that people are thinking about. ‘Does he still have this?’, ‘Can he still handle the pressure?’, ‘Can his body take this?’ I want to go out there and say, ‘Yes, I can.’”

The first major test of Moldauer’s comeback will come at Winter Cup on Saturday, with a national team spot and – arguably more important – personal redemption on the line.