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Alyssa Roenigk, ESPN Senior Author
PARIS — He wears glasses, apart from when he is competing. He solves a Rubik’s Dice lots of of occasions a day within the athlete’s village, aiming for a sub-10-second remedy every time. His job is horse.
And he is change into one of many breakout stars of those Olympics. The U.S. males’s gymnastics crew introduced 25-year-old former Penn State gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik to Paris with one task: Hit pommel horse routines. He is the 2021 world champion within the occasion and competes one of the tough routines on the earth on what’s historically a low-scoring equipment for Workforce USA.
Stephen Nedoroscik finishes his pommel horse routine within the remaining and the gang goes WILD! 👏 #ParisOlympics
📺 E! and Peacock pic.twitter.com/JbCPmqNJA7
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024
And he is delivered. In Saturday’s occasion remaining, Nedoroscik earned bronze, the one particular person medal the U.S. males will take residence from Paris. Eire’s Rhys McClenaghan received gold with a rating of 15.533 and Nariman Kurbanov of Kazakhstan earned silver with a 15.433.
Nedoroscik competed a routine with the identical problem rating as he did throughout qualification — a 6.4 — however improved his execution rating and earned a 15.3. He had barely dismounted the horse when his teammate, Brody Malone, who was on the ground with him throughout the competitors, began leaping up and down earlier than engulfing him in a bear hug.
“I do my greatest to take the strain and switch it into pleasure,” Nedoroscik mentioned after Monday’s crew remaining. “I wanna be the man on pommel horse when it comes right down to the wire, as a result of I do know it is gonna come right down to the wire and I need it to be me.”
Nedoroscik anchored the U.S. pommel horse lineup throughout the crew remaining, was the final competitor of the meet and captivated followers with a routine that secured bronze for Workforce USA, the primary Olympic medal for the U.S. males’s crew in 16 years.
As a result of Nedoroscik had little duty throughout the first 5 rotations of the meet, tv cameras caught him cheering on his teammates and sitting quietly, visualizing his routine “lots of of occasions” along with his eyes closed.
Stephen Nedoroscik, the Clark Kent of pommel horse! 🫡🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/1HfYFSbJvH
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
Then he eliminated his warmup and glasses and hit top-of-the-line routines of the night time. Virtually immediately, “the Clark Kent of pommel horse” grew to become an web sensation. Memes of Nedoroscik swinging on an precise horse, in addition to photographs of a bespectacled Nedoroscik alongside pictures of Christopher Reeves’ Clark Kent flooded social media. On Saturday, an American eyewear brand gave away free frames they dubbed “The Stephen” at 11:15 a.m. ET, the exact time the pommel horse remaining was scheduled to start in Paris.
“It has been unbelievable the quantity of individuals reaching out and following me and making memes of me — and to assume that occurred proper after a historic occasion for my crew getting the bronze medal,” Nedoroscik mentioned after Saturday’s meet. “I have been persistently on high of this world for the previous week now.”
He mentioned he needed to flip off his cellphone notifications to “lock in for this competitors at present,” however hoped when he turned them again on, he’d see extra assist.
Saturday, sporting his trademark specs as soon as once more, Nedoroscik walked to the ground at Bercy Area for the medal ceremony. On his method there, he tugged on his proper ear, a message to his family and friends at residence to allow them to know he is fascinated by them. Then he bowed his head to obtain his bronze medal and when he stood, he pushed his glasses again into place.
“It is very nice for me to have the ability to come out at present and produce residence some {hardware} for Workforce USA,” he mentioned Saturday. “This has been my objective for thus a few years. I am simply honored and excited.”
No eyewear wanted.
