Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik Reacts to Those "Pommel Horse Guy" Olympics Memes
The bronze medalist also told Jimmy Fallon why his eyes are closed before it's time for his event.
Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, a.k.a. "Mr. Pommel Horse," was one the breakout stars of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Not only did Team USA's Nedoroscik pound the pommel horse to win two bronze medals, he also became a viral meme for looking like Clark Kent. And on August 13, the Olympian appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to discuss competing in the Summer Games — and Jimmy Fallon had to ask about the internet's crush on him, and what it feels like to be known as "Pommel Horse Guy."
"There's been memes of you all over the internet now after that win — people are loving you, me included," Fallon told him, displaying a meme of Nedoroscik and Superman star Christopher Reeve side-by-side.
Another meme Fallon shared features the image of Nedoroscik resting with his eyes closed. "This one says, 'This Ken's job is horse,'" said Fallon, who then asked the question everyone has been wondering: "So are you asleep here, or what were you doing? You're exhausted?"
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"So after a really long day like that, where I'm waiting around five hours to finally compete and represent... we get there earlier, and then warm up and then march out and compete," Nedoroscik said. "It was like five hours or so. So finally when it got to horse, I needed to calm down."
"So all I'm doing there is, I'm tilting my head back and doing my breathing exercises and visualizing a lot," he added, "like, 100 times."
"Usually, you have a draw at a competition of what event you're starting on. We got really lucky for Day 1," Nedoroscik explained. "Our draw was pommel horse was first. It's a great example because I literally got to warm up pommel horse last in the back gym and then immediately competed."
"That meant that that competition in total was about an hour long for me, versus ending on pommel horse where we warm it up and then you go out and compete it, and it's about a five-hour day instead," he continued.
"So you went and you go, 'Okay, I'm in the zone,' and then you close your eyes," said Fallon. "You visualize yourself twirling — and then you just went and nailed it and then became a sensation."
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Stephen Nedoroscik jokes his girlfriend Tess McCracken is sick of his Olympic medals
Fallon also asked Nedoroscik, who arrived with the bronze medals around his neck, whether he's taken them off since Paris.
"I have been taking them off, but, you know, I don't want to," Nedoroscik answered with a laugh, as he held up the disks.
"Is your girlfriend like, 'Get over it, dude. We get it. You won'?" Fallon asked.
"She's like, 'You're going to bed. It's the shower. Please,'" joked Nedoroscik, referring to his girlfriend Tess McCracken. According to NBC News, the two met when they were both competing for Penn State University's gymnastics team and have been dating for eight years.
And rest assured that McCracken is a big fan of the memes, telling NBC News that "the general public and the internet ... go on and on about him and just make all of these memes — it has been one of the best times... I love them so much. I’ve retweeted almost every single one.”
As if Nedoroscik's athleticism hasn't made him enough of a nerdy heartthrob, Fallon asked him to show off his other talent — solving a Rubik's Cube — at the end of their interview. Watch above, and watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon weeknights at 11:35/10:35c, streaming next day on Peacock.
