Lake County Gazette

Lake County State's Attorney candidate Mary Cole congratulated Paul Juda on being the county's first Olympic medalist. "Paul Juda, a Stevenson High School graduate, was part of the team that on Monday won the first medal in men's gymnastics for Team U.S.A. since 2008," she said in a July 30 Facebook post.

"Congratulations to Lake County's first Olympic medalist," said Cole, according to Facebook. "Paul Juda, a Stevenson High School graduate was part of the team that on Monday won the first medal in men's gymnastics for Team U.S.A. since 2008."

In her Facebook post, Cole shared a news article from the Deerfield Patch, which highlighted Juda’s role in winning the bronze medal for Team USA. Juda scored a 14.666 in the vault for Team USA, helping the team win their first medal since 2008. Japan won the gold medal, The People’s Republic of China won silver, and Team USA took bronze. The Deerfield Patch reported that Juda will compete in the individual competition starting July 31.

Screenshot of Mary Cole for Lake County State's Attorney July 30 Facebook post | Mary Cole for Lake County State's Attorney Facebook page

Following Team USA’s bronze in the men’s gymnastics competition, the Associated Press pointed out that there are only a dozen schools with Division 1 Gymnastics programs and spoke with Juda about what the win meant. "If you want to keep seeing USA Gymnastics and Team USA on a gymnastics podium, at least on the men’s side, you’re going to have to give us more opportunities to compete in college," said Juda in a July 29 Associated Press article.

The US Men’s Gymnastics Team includes Juda, Frederick Richard, Asher Hong, Brody Malone, and Stephen Nedoroscik, who is the pommel horse specialist. According to CBS News, this team secured their first gymnastics team medal since 2008 by beating Ukraine and Great Britain in the finals to capture fifth place after Saturday’s qualifying round. Team USA Gymnastics cheered the men’s team in a social media post saying: "For the first time since 2008, the U.S. Men are taking home hardware in the Olympic Team Competition! Congratulations to Asher, Paul, Brody, Stephen & Frederick — you are Olympic Medalists!"

Cole has also emphasized her commitment to addressing issues like low morale and inadequate attorney training during her campaign for the November 2024 election. She is currently a partner at Brady Cole Trial Lawyers and has experience in both prosecution and defense with a strong track record in handling cases involving DUIs (Driving Under Influence), domestic battery, and orders of protection.