Pommel Horse Nerd Stephen Nedoroscik Rides to Another Olympic Medal
Nerdy Clark Kent lookalike gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, who became an Olympics breakout star for excelling only in the pommel horse, has won another medal.
And he donned an American flag cape after the final results in a playful nod to his Clark Kent/Superman viral fame.
OUR FRIEND STEVE WON BRONZE IN POMMEL HORSE. ??
Congrats to USA Gym's Stephen Nedoroscik. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/bxzuCgEcVS— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024
Fans first fell in love with Nedoroscik's bespectacled look on the sidelines during the men's gymnastics team competition. They were further stunned when the mild-mannered cutie's pommel routine secured Team USA's first team Olympic medal, a bronze, in 16 years.
The gymnast who previously competed for Penn State got even more attention when Olympics viewers learned he suffers from a cross-eyed condition called strabismus.
And Nedoroscik kept going on August 3, as the only male US gymnast to qualify for an individual skill event.
As Parade.com has previously reported, Nedoroscik learned years ago that he excelled solely in pommel horse and decided to specialize in the discipline.
Team USA men's gymnastics chose him for the Olympics team only to be on the horse!
Competing in the men's individual pommel horse final on Saturday in Paris, Nedoroscik, 25, flew through the air in style again for the bronze.
Stephen Nedoroscik finishes his pommel horse routine in the final and the crowd goes WILD! ?? #ParisOlympics
?? E! and Peacock pic.twitter.com/JbCPmqNJA7— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024
Rhys McClenaghan of Ireland took the gold and Nariman Kurbanov of Kazakhstan won silver. Eight men competed in the skill.
Just as they did during the USA team final, fans took to X/Twitter to praise Nedoroscik, who earned a score of 15.300 to make the podium in third.
One fan opined on Twitter, "I love how Stephen Nedoroscik just shatters the athlete stereotype. You do not have to choose between your nerdy side and your athlete side. DO BOTH."
Team USA's X account heralded him as "The Specialist."
STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK, THE SPECIALIST ??#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/03vTqrGbn0
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 3, 2024
While he appeared to fall asleep while waiting to compete for his team earlier in the week, before his individual skill, Nedoroscik transfixed fans again.
He was seen doing what gymnasts call "the penguin dance," swaying around upright with his eyes closed to loosen up.
As usual, Nedoroscik removed his thick rectangular-framed glasses to do the pommel.
With his parents and gymnast girlfriend Tess McCracken cheering him on from the crowd, Nedoroscik delivered his very best Olympics performance with a 15.300 score.
After completing his routine, Nedoroscik was thrilled. The new sports star pumped his fists and hugged USA gymnastics teammate Brody Malone, who cheered on his pal from the floor.
"It's funny to see how viral he's become," an NBC commentator noted. "Everybody loves Stephen Nedoroscik!"
A couple of years ago, the gymnast revealed on TikTok that he has strabismus. “Basically, I’m cross-eyed,” he said. While one of Nedoroscik’s eyes faces inward, the other eye focuses on something. On TikTok, he noted that he can alternate which eye is dominant. “I shift my world viewpoint from one eye to the other,” he stated. Nedoroscik wanted to find a doctor to help him with his eyes.
A self-described nerd, fans have found out Nedoroscik solves Rubik's cubes and plays chess and video games.
Although Simone Biles has been the biggest Olympics gymnastics star in Paris, the world has embraced Stephen as an unlikely specialist hero.
An NBC commentator has noted what perfectionism it took for Nedoroscik to pull off his Olympics win: “He has spent years perfecting a single move on the pommel horse.”
X user Sassington, M.C. joked in a tweet about Nedoroscik's impact on the discipline: "my house watching Stephen Nedoroscik win a bronze medal in an event we have never discussed in our lives before this week #Olympics" with a video of people dancing.
my house watching Stephen Nedoroscik win a bronze medal in an event we have never discussed in our lives before this week #Olympics pic.twitter.com/WoWqoL1gjK
— Sassington, M.C. (@MissSassbox) August 3, 2024
And more fans compared him to becoming Superman after looking like Clark Kent!
I know the American flag as a cape is Homelander but I hate that guy and you can’t make me hate Superman Stephen Nedoroscik pic.twitter.com/NPoW9EALEK
— Harley?? (@zyelrah) August 3, 2024
X user Eclipsed HORIZONS summed things up about Stephen looking like Superman/Captain America in his flag cape, writing, "That’s “Captain Pommel Horse Guy” to you #OlympicGames."
That’s “Captain Pommel Horse Guy” to you #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/zGj4Ec3ENq
— Eclipsed HORIZONS (@horizons1983) August 3, 2024