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Who Is Stephen Nedoroscik? U.S. Men’s Gymnast Goes Viral for Pommel Horse Routine
Stephen Nedoroscik became a viral sensation after his incredible performance on pommel horse during the 2024 Olympics. Now, fans want to know more about the United States gymnast.
Why Was Stephen Nedoroscik a Meme at the 2024 Olympics?
Stephen made his Olympics debut during the men’s gymnastics team event on July 29, 2024. He competed for the U.S. alongside Asher Hong, Paul Juda, Brody Malone and Frederick Richard. Stephen’s placement on the team was a bit controversial, as he only competed in one event – the pommel horse – while his teammates all stepped up on multiple apparatuses.
The pommel horse was the last event of the day, so Stephen spent several hours waiting around for his teammates to compete. A viral image surfaced of him “getting in the zone” while wearing his glasses on the sidelines. Stephen looked completely relaxed with his eyes closed, despite the Olympic competition going on around him.
When it was finally Stephen’s turn to shine, he took off his glasses and delivered a killer pommel horse routine, which helped secure the United States’ place on the podium. He earned a score of 14.866, giving team U.S. a total score of 257.793 and earning them the bronze medal behind Japan, with a score of 259.594, and China, with a score of 259.062.
The images of Stephen wearing his glasses before taking the floor had social media users comparing him to Clark Kent. On July 30, 2024, he reacted to all of the memes, telling Hoda Kotb, “I think they’re awesome. I’m representing people that wear glasses well.”
Is Stephen Nedoroscik Cross-Eyed?
Stephen previously revealed that he has strabismus, which means he’s cross-eyed. In August 2022, he opened up about his condition on TikTok and explained that he’s able to control which of his eyes will focus on something, while the other faces inward. At the time, he was asking for assistance in finding a doctor who could help with his condition.
He used the hashtag “coloboma” in his TikTok post. Coloboma is a condition where “part of the tissue that makes up the eye is missing,” according to the National Eye Institute.
The Olympian has to take his glasses off to complete his pommel horse routines and admitted that his eyesight is “not necessarily clear” when he’s performing. “The thing about pommel horse is, if I keep them on, they’re gonna fly somewhere,” he said on the Today show in July 2024. “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 gymnastics. It’s all in the hands. I can feel everything.”
How Tall Is Stephen Nedoroscik?
Stephen Nedoroscik is 5’4” tall, according to his profile on the official NBC Olympics page. However, his college profile for Penn State University listed him as 5’5”.
Stephen Nedoroscik’s Gymnastics Career
Stephen was born in 1998 and began his gymnastics career in 2003. When he was younger, he competed on all of the men’s gymnastics apparatuses, but when he eventually realized he was only progressing on pommel horse, he decided to specialize in that one event.
The Massachusetts native attended Penn State University and began competing on their gymnastics team in 2017. He won an NCAA national championship in pommel horse his freshman year and defended his title in 2018. In his junior year, he came in second place at the NCAA championships, and his senior year season was cut short due to COVID. Meanwhile, he had also begun competing at the U.S. National Championships, finishing in seventh place in 2017, ninth place in 2018, second place in 2019 and first place in 2021 and 2022.
In 2024, Stephen once again won the U.S. National Championship in pommel horse and qualified for the Olympic trials, eventually earning one of the five spots on the team.
Who Are Stephen Nedoroscik’s Parents?
Stephen’s parents are Cheryl and John Nedoroscik. In addition to Stephen, the couple also shares daughters Samantha and Anastasia.
Cheryl and John were the ones who decided to take Stephen to gymnastics class for the first time after dubbing him “spider monkey” due to his energetic climbing of walls and furniture around their home. “On the first day [at the gym], I climbed a rope all the way to the top,” the athlete revealed. “After that, they invited me to join the gymnastics team. We accepted and that was it.”
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