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Who Is Stephen Nedoroscik, the U.S. Gymnast Who Helped the Men's Team Clinch Bronze Medal?
The 25-year-old was waiting in the wings all throughout the gymnastics men's team final, until the very last U.S. event.
U.S. Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik was just waiting for his time to shine at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 25-year-old gymnast had just one event to compete in during the Men's Team Finals on Monday, July 29. Throughout the competition, viewers saw the athlete wringing his hands as teammates Brody Malone, Paul Juda, Frederick Richard, and Asher Hong competed in their respective events, trying to stay focused as he waited for his turn on the pommel horse at the very end of the rotations. That was his specialty and he was gearing up for what turned out to be a crucial routine.
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Eventually, he had his moment, wowing the crowds with his incredible strength and agility.
It's incredibly rare to see a gymnast compete in just one event, but the coaches had their reasons. As NBC Sports gymnastics analyst Tim Daggett told NBC News, "What it comes down to is that [Nedoroscik’s] scores on pommel horse are so much higher than everybody else on that one event that he adds a tremendous amount of potential score."
Nedoroscik Takes the Bronze in Pommel Horse
Nedoroscik had his second turn in the spotlight when he competed in the individual apparatus event on Saturday. The competition was close but the 25-year-old ultimately took the bronze in the pommel horse event thanks to a score of 15.333.
Ireland's Rhys McClenaghan won the gold after scoring a 15.533 and Kazakhstan's Nariman Kurbanov earned the silver with a score of 15.433.
This was a historic moment for McClenaghan, who is the first Irishman to win gold in gymnastics.
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Stephen Nedoroscik's College Career
The 25-year-old competed for the Penn State Nittany Lions, starting in 2017 and graduated in 2020 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Throughout his college career, he achieved numerous accolades, including the 2020 Nissen-Emery Award and was an All-Big Ten honoree, according to his Penn State bio.
Following his graduation from Penn State, Nedoroscik continued to compete and became an expert in the pommel horse. He took home the gold medal at the 2024 U.S. National Championships, which helped him to clinch a spot on Team USA.
When did Nedoroscik start competing?
As a young kid, Nedoroscik began climbing walls and furniture, earning him the nickname "spider monkey" from his family, according to NBC affiliate WBBH. His parents, Cheryl and John Nedoroscik, ultimately decided to channel his energy into sports and took him to a local gym in 2003, a decision that would have a major impact on the rest of his life.
"On the first day there, I climbed a rope all the way to the top," Nedoroscik told WBBH. "After that, they invited me to join the gymnastics team. We accepted it, and that was it.”
Nedoroscik went on to qualify for the Paris Olympics earlier this year, making history as the only American gymnast to qualify as a single-event specialist, according to WBBH.
His efforts on the pommel horse ultimately helped Team USA secure a spot on the podium. The last time the men's gymnastics team won a medal was at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where they won the bronze in the men's team finals.
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Stephen's glasses draw comparisons to Clark Kent
Following his performance on the pommel horse, fans immediately began to call Stephen the "Clark Kent of the pommel horse," a fitting comparison judging by NBC Olympics' post on X.
However, Stephen's glasses are not just for disguise. The athlete previously revealed on TikTok that he has a condition called strabismus, which is defined by the Cleveland Clinic as a form of eye misalignment, but it's more commonly known as being cross eyed. He's revealed on TikTok that he suffers from light sensitivity, caused by a coloboma — an area of the eye that is missing tissue, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Stephen's glasses helps to correct these symptoms, though he doesn't need them when competing. He told TODAY's Hoda Kotb, "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.”
And while he could technically wear glasses on the pommel horse, he said it's useless because they will just "fly somewhere."
Meet His Girlfriend, Tess McCracken
Stephen's girlfriend is officially named Tess McCracken, but you can call her "Ms. Pommel Horse."
Stephen and Tess met when they were both competing for Penn State University's gymnastics team and have been dating for eight years, she told NBC News. Throughout their relationship, Tess has gotten to see every side of Stephen, describing him to the outlet as "goofy" and "really lighthearted."
Now, she can add Olympic gold medalist to that list of descriptors.
Originally published Jul 29, 2024.
