Topline

American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, who specializes on the pommel horse event, performed the very last routine that the US men’s gymnasts needed to secure their first team medal in 16 years, and his glasses and relaxed demeanor on the competition floor have sparked plenty of internet memes from fans.

Key Facts

When Is Stephen Nedoroscik Competing Next?

Nedoroscik will compete in the men’s pommel horse final on Saturday at 11:16 am EDT, his last appearance during the Olympics. Nedoroscik is expected to be a contender for a medal. He qualified into the final with a tie for the highest score—15.200—although Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan won the tiebreak, which is decided based on which gymnast has the higher execution score.

Key Background

Nedoroscik, 25, was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, and started gymnastics in 2003. Syque Caesar, Nedoroscik’s coach, told the Washington Post the gymnast is “quirky, funny, goofy” and “dances to his own tune.” Early in his career, Nedoroscik became known for his abilities on the pommel horse—but he also garnered attention for wearing glasses or goggles during competition. The goggles, which aren’t prescription, were a Secret Santa gift from his teammate at Penn State University, Ben Cooperman, who joked that Nedoroscik should wear them during competition. “I started to form a goofiness when it came to compete and I was like, you know what? It’d be fun to put them on. Let’s put ’em on,” Nedoroscik said. He hasn’t worn the goggles at the Olympics, telling Olympics.com after the team finals that he hasn’t felt like wearing them lately. He is also known for solving Rubik’s Cubes. On Monday, before the team final, Nedoroscik said on Instagram he solved one in 9.32 seconds, which he considered a “good omen.” According to his TikTok bio, his Rubik’s Cube record is 8.664 seconds. Nedoroscik competed for Penn State’s NCAA gymnastics team between 2017 and 2020, where he became a two-time NCAA national champion on the pommel horse. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Surprising Fact

Nedoroscik has solely competed on the pommel horse for much of his career—a contrast to his Olympic teammates, who compete on all six events in men’s gymnastics. Nedoroscik won a gold medal on the pommel horse at the 2021 world gymnastics championships, a first for the United States and the first gold medal for an American man in any event since 2011. He is a four-time national champion on the pommel horse.

Tangent

Nedoroscik scored a 14.866 on the pommel horse during the men’s team final on Monday, a tie for the second-highest score on the apparatus that day. His performance helped the US men’s gymnasts clinch the bronze medal, the first for the American men’s gymnastics team since 2008. Nedoroscik and the other four gymnasts—Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Frederick Richard and Brody Malone—earned a total team score of 257,793, more than four points higher than their qualification round score of 253.229, where they ranked fifth. The US team won the bronze behind Japan, the gold medal winning team, and China, which took the silver.

Further Reading

US Men’s Gymnastics Team Wins First Olympic Medal In 16 Years (Forbes)

Stephen Nedoroscik waited his whole life for one routine. The US pommel horse specialist nailed it (Associated Press)