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U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Patrick Hoopes won bronze on pommel horse at the World Gymnastics Championships in Indonesia last week. It was a lifelong dream that he had fulfilled, alongside his military service, since he took up the sport at just two years old.
“It was so amazing. There’s kind of three big things that a gymnast growing up in the United States wants to compete in: the U.S. championships, the Olympics and then the world championships. So it was kind of a big dream come true,” Hoopes told PK Press Club Digital.
“I remember all the time thinking that there were some little mistakes that I could already feel, that I know I had made, but when I nailed the whole routine, I came down, I waved to the judges, I hit the routine and I was really excited… when the last competitor left, and I saw that I was third, I was like ‘this is crazy’. World medalist is a title I didn’t think I would get growing up.”
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Patrick Hoopes of Team USA competes in the men’s pommel apparatus final on day six of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at the Indonesia Arena on October 24, 2025, in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
But not everything has been won in Indonesia.
Throughout the week, Hoopes had learned of a controversial situation that was overshadowing competition around the world.
The host country’s government denied visas to all athletes on the Israeli team, effectively barring them from competing. The Indonesian government cited security concerns amid potential protests from locals and the war in Gaza for barring access to Israeli gymnasts.
“A lot of people were, I don’t know if they were upset, but they were pretty disappointed that Israel wasn’t there. I mean, everyone there understands the work that they put in to get to this point and be able to show up at the World Championships, and for an athlete from any country to be denied that for reasons beyond their control is always a pretty disappointing story to hear,” Hoopes said.
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(Left) Team Israel competes in the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around final on the 15th day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris, France, August 10, 2024. (Right) Activists who are members of the “Indonesian Convoy for World Peace” stage a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 3 2025. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images; Aditya Irawan/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Indonesia’s denial of visas to Israelis sparked an international backlash, with the International Olympic Committee even stepping in to condemn the decision in a statement, and subsequently ending any discussions with the country about hosting future Olympics. The IOC also recommended that no international sporting events be held in Indonesia.
Indonesian Sports Minister Erick Thohir defended his country’s decision last week, saying: “We adhere to the principle of maintaining security, public order and public interest in hosting every international event.”
Hoopes sympathized with the Israeli gymnasts and expressed his support for them and the work they put in for the competition.
“For the athletes themselves who are not working directly on what’s happening in this part of their country, for them to be punished for what’s happening, especially after putting all this work into their training and trying to be ready for this competition. I know if that happened to me, if it was a week before, and I had trained and put in all this effort and prepared, and to have that opportunity taken away from me, I think it’s really, really sad.” Hoopes said.
“It’s just a sad thing that these athletes didn’t get a chance to show themselves.”
American Patrick Hoopes reacts after competing in the men’s pommel horse final at the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, October 24, 2025. (Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP)
Hoopes hopes to compete alongside Team Israel gymnasts at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as he focuses on achieving his next goal between his military service, the World Military Games in North Carolina in 2027 and the upcoming World Championships in the coming years.
