Stephen Nedoroscik is the Internet's new favorite Olympics athlete after his showstopping pommel horse routines
Stephen Nedoroscik was the stealth Olympic hero we needed.
The American gymnast won a pair of bronze medals at the Olympics, in the individual pommel horse routine on Saturday and as part of the July 29 U.S. men’s team competition. But the way he prepared and then executed threw off some Clark Kent vibes.
Pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik CRUSHES the final routine that clinched Team USA's first Olympic men's gymnastics team medal since 2008. #ParisOlympicspic.twitter.com/R303bZ0eQU
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
The 25-year-old from Worcester, Mass., is a pommel horse specialist. Nedoroscik does only that routine, and it was the last one — and many say the trickiest — of the competition. So he sat on the sidelines for two hours before his moment.
Stephen Nedoroscik getting in the zone. #ParisOlympics
📺: NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/z78zfFRzdU— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2024
Here’s the Superman part: During the team competition, Nedoroscik was first shown during his pre-performance ritual of waiting in the wings with his head back, eyes closed and glasses on. When it was time for him to pommel — and pommel he did! — he removed his black-rimmed glasses and swooped in to execute a truly incredible 38-second routine, scoring 14.866. While he celebrated with his teammates, he was handed his glasses and put them back on.
It was like Clark Kent standing up from his desk at the Daily Planet, removing his glasses to initiate his transformation into a superhero, saving the whole world and then casually sitting back down in his chair.
NBC, which is broadcasting the Olympics, dubbed Nedoroscik “the Clark Kent of pommel horse!” on social media. The internet was on fire over Nedoroscik’s covert excellence, making him one of the most memed athletes in the Olympics so far.
Stephen Nedoroscik, the Clark Kent of pommel horse! 🫡🇺🇸 #ParisOlympicspic.twitter.com/1HfYFSbJvH
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
Pommel horse GUY to pommel horse MAN 👓 @GymnastSteve#ParisOlympicspic.twitter.com/exYIcE5uIO
— Peacock (@peacock) July 29, 2024
That’s the new Superman pic.twitter.com/9rUvbTp0K5
— New York to Las Vegas✈️ (@Yankees44Giants) July 29, 2024
Obsessed with this guy on the US men's gymnastics team who's only job is pommel horse, so he just sits there until he's activated like a sleeper agent, whips off his glasses like Clark Kent and does a pommel horse routine that helps deliver the team its first medal in 16 years. pic.twitter.com/0D1ZqJjFa1
— Megan 📚 (@MegWritesBooks) July 29, 2024
Pommel Horse Guy is about to do the biggest Pommel Horse of his life and appears to be taking a peaceful nap. New #1 favorite Olympic athlete. pic.twitter.com/yqGgqjTc2O
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) July 29, 2024
I love this nerdy kid from Worcester who's at the Olympics just to do pommel horse and only pommel horse and he is literally Team USA's best chance at Olympic gold for just pommel horse. And today he's literally just hanging out until it's time for pommel horse. LOVE HIM. pic.twitter.com/GbQZUqb0SZ
— Meghan O’Keefe (@megsokay) July 29, 2024
Husbands and BFs on the sofas at Anthropologie pic.twitter.com/qE8NGgvekO
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) July 29, 2024
To truly understand Stephen Nedoroscik's nerd credentials, you need to know that he is in Paris for the Olympics and posting to his insta story about solving a rubik's cube in under 10 seconds. pic.twitter.com/2vFygJBifW
— John Green (@sportswithjohn) July 29, 2024
WHO MADE THIS, I AM SCREAMING!!! pic.twitter.com/ful8L0FthE
— piked t(katy)ev (@katycorfish) July 30, 2024
OUR FRIEND STEVE. 🇺🇸 #ParisOlympicspic.twitter.com/HripeJX9Wv
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
Nedoroscik — the 2021 world pommel horse champion, who has been specializing in that apparatus for eight years — responded to the masses in an X post with 1.8M views and counting.
USA BABY 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 IS THIS REAL LIFE
— Stephen Nedoroscik (@GymnastSteve) July 29, 2024
Here’s what we know about Nedoroscik’s vision: He has a disease that leaves his eyes permanently dilated, according to the Athletic. In the past, he competed while wearing goggles — given to him as a joke from his teammate at Penn State, where he attended college — but he retired the look.
According to the Olympics website, he said in June there was “no reason” behind the change, “I just haven’t really felt like it. He’s been going without glasses altogether for “a while,” noting: “Nothing’s really intentional.” Besides, he can see the horse without eyewear.
“It’s not necessarily clear, but the thing about pommel horse is if I keep them on, they’re gonna fly somewhere,” he said during an appearance on the Today show on July 30. “When I go up on the pommel horse, it’s all about feeling the equipment. I don’t even really see when I’m doing my gymnastics. It’s all in the hands — I can feel everything.”
During that same interview, alongside teammates Brody Malone and Asher Hong, he swapped eyewear with Hoda Kotb, donning her sunglasses while she wore his Clark Kent-style frames.
Clinch an Olympic medal for the U.S. ✅
Visit @TODAYshow and swap glasses with Hoda ✅
The last 24 hours have been good to Stephen Nedoroscik. #ParisOlympicspic.twitter.com/5WzNOQRNqD— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
He also spoke about his pre-performance ritual, explaining that he was doing “breathing exercises.” It’s important to keep his heart rate down, he explained, and in the five minutes before he performed, “I'm sitting there, I'm just visualizing my routine over and over. ... That's all I'm doing in my head."
He noted that he’s delighted by the memes, calling them “awesome. I’m representing people that wear glasses well.”
Nedoroscik previously reacted to his clutch performance, telling NBC on Monday night , “I just knew I had to go up there and do my job. I was like, ‘Let’s just get it done; let’s go for it.”
He said nailing his dismount was “the best moment of my life.”
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