Stephen Nedoroscik has gained internet fame as the “pommel horse guy” who helped the U.S. men’s gymnastics team win their first medal in 16 years—here’s what to know about him.
Many historic firsts and records have happened with the 2024 Paris Olympics in full swing. Among them is the U.S. men’s gymnastics team’s very first medal in 16 years. The secret behind their inspiring win? A quiet, bespectacled player who captured the internet’s attention (and naturally generated a slew of memes) when he napped on the sidelines unassumingly for around three hours before taking off his glasses and delivering a jaw-droppingly good pommel horse routine. This gymnast is none other than Stephen Nedoroscik, whose powerful performance not only helped his team win their medal, but also surprised many netizens, who took to calling him “pommel horse guy” and comparing him to Clark Kent, Superman’s endearingly nerdy alter ego.
As Kathleen Walsh writes for Glamour, Nedoroscik is a specialist on the team, which means he came to the Olympics to do one thing, that thing being the pommel horse—and he certainly did not disappoint. But just who is this man who has taken both the 2024 Paris Olympics and the internet by storm?
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The Life of A Gymnast
25-year-old Nedoroscik was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on October 28, 1998, according to Rebecca Aizin of People. He spent a majority of his youth attending the Sterling Academy of Gymnastics in Sterling, Massachusetts. Though it is his first time attending the Olympics, as per Team USA’s official website, he became the first American man to win the title of Pommel Horse World Champion at the 2021 World Championships.
He attended Pennsylvania State University, joining its gymnastics team and graduating in 2020 with a degree in electrical engineering, Aizin of People adds. Indeed, the athlete has more than a few tricks up his sleeve with a sharp mind: in one Team USA TikTok video, he shows how he can fully solve a rubik’s cube in just 19 seconds.
It was during his time at university where he met his girlfriend of eight years, 26-year-old Tessa McCracken, who was part of the school’s women’s gymnastics team. At present, they live together in Sarasota, Florida (where Nedoroscik also trains), along with their cat Kyushu. McCracken, now a retired gymnast, is pursuing a career as a project manager in cell and gene therapy for a biopharmaceutical contract research organization, reports Alex Portée of Today.
Surpassing Eye Conditions
In a 2022 TikTok video, Nedoroscik revealed that he is cross-eyed (the medical condition being “strabismus”), but able to easily and quickly switch his dominant eye when performing his routines. Though he has performed with prescription glasses in the past, according to Ana Faguy of BBC, he opted to take off his glasses during his Olympics routine to avoid them flying out—even if his vision wasn’t “necessarily clear.” He also has a condition known as “coloboma,” where some missing eye tissue makes the eyes more sensitive to light, reports Walsh of Glamour.
These facts make his accomplishment all the more impressive, though his tip to success is “all about feeling the equipment,” adds Faguy.
Reactions to Being Viral
Both Nedoroscik and McCracken have embraced his newfound online popularity. In an interview with the Today Show, the Olympic gymnast says that he finds people likening him to Clark Kent as “an awesome comparison.”
“I will definitely take that,” he says with a laugh. “In a way it’s kind of like that. You know, I’m a goofy guy with the glasses on, but as soon as I take them off, I’m locked in, I’m ready to go.”
As for McCracken, she humorously adopted the nickname “Ms. Pommel Horse” as the Lois Lane to her boyfriend’s Clark Kent.
“I have people like tagging me, calling me ‘Lois Lane.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to be mad about it,’” she tells Kalhan Rosenblatt of NBC News with a laugh over a phone interview. “Blowing up on the internet has been such an unexpected side effect of this whole adventure.” She also shares that she loves the memes so much, she’s “retweeted almost every single one.”
Behind all the viral memes though, McCraken describes Nedoroscik as a “goofy guy” who is “really lighthearted” and “always sees the bright side of things,” adds Rosenblatt.
Banner photo via Instagram @stephen_nedoroscik.
