Stephen Nedoroscik, renowned as a pommel horse specialist, emerged as a breakout star at the 2024 Paris Games and clinched a bronze medal in the men’s gymnastics individual pommel horse final on Saturday. he scored a 15.30 in the individual pommel horse finals — the only event he competes in, but one he does exceptionally well. He draped the American flag around his shoulders like Superman as he took the podium.
Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan took the gold with a score of 15.533, and Kazakhstan’s Nariman Kurbanov took silver with a score of 15.433.
In the team event, Nedoroscik achieved a score of 14.866 on the pommel horse, contributing significantly to Team USA’s bronze medal win—their first in men’s gymnastics in 16 years. His score was the highest in any event by a U.S. male gymnast during the team competition.
His 15.200 qualifying score for the individual event tied Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan for the tops among the eight finalists.
Since Team USA won its bronze medal on Monday, Nedoroscik has become an Olympic darling known as “pommel horse guy”. He has been compared to Clark Kent for wearing dark-framed glasses, which he whips off and turns into Superman when he gets on the pommel horse.
“The Rubik’s cube serves as a form of meditation and a way to pass time during lengthy competition days,” he explained. He once feared that a quick resolution was an ominous omen, signaling that a subpar performance was imminent. “Previously, I’d think, ‘Oh no, this might be the highlight of my day,’ which really unnerved me,” he admitted.
However, this perspective shifted recently. “But now, after solving it in under 10 seconds before the team finals and again today, I thought, ‘Okay, we can do this,'” he shared, chuckling during a press conference.
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