Olympics
Who Is Pommel Horse Guy? This Nerdy Olympian Has Charmed The Internet
His job is pommel horse.
While his teammates were out swinging on the high bar and flipping through the air for their complex floor routines, Stephen Nedoroscik was busy taking a nap on the bench. As a gymnast for Team USA, he went to Paris to do one thing: absolutely crush it on the pommel horse. And crush it he did. Since the event took place on July 29 he’s been a social media sensation, and is now lovingly known as “pommel horse guy.”
The men’s gymnastics team was under a lot of pressure going into the 2024 Paris Games, especially since they hadn’t medaled since 2008. After finding themselves in fifth place in the qualifying round, their hopes of making it to the podium all boiled down to the pommel horse — arguably the most difficult apparatus in gymnastics — and 25-year-old Nedoroscik’s skills.
Viewers marveled as Nedoroscik — who had been wearing thick black glasses the entire evening — rose, removed his spectacles, chalked his hands, and instantly transformed from the unsuspecting guy in the background to the hero of the evening. The athlete jumped up onto the pommel horse, swiveled around with the greatest of ease, and dismounted perfectly for a score of 14.866.
Nedoroscik was immediately lifted up by his teammates, like a high school football star. His routine won them a bronze medal, and the love of the internet. On TikTok, @nataliebodesports said, “Bro came to the Olympics for one event and absolutely cooked,” while @niyaesperanza said, “Long live pommel horse guy.”
Who Is Pommel Horse Guy?
Hailing from Worcester, Massachusetts, Nedoroscik is an American artistic gymnast who focuses solely on the pommel horse — an event that typically only takes about 40 seconds to complete. He’s one of the best there is, which is why he was selected to join Team USA. Nedoroscik is such a pro they knew his inevitable high score could be the deciding factor in whether or not they medaled.
Besides being a professional gymnast and member of the United States men’s national gymnastics team, Nedoroscik is also an electrical engineering graduate from Penn State. And according to a video from @itsdanielmac on TikTok, he’s a fan of gaming — his fave is Rocket League — and solving Rubik’s cubes, which he credited for helping him stay “in the zone” ahead of his event.
Pommel Horse Guy Memes
Arguably the funniest part of the “pommel horse guy” phenomenon is the fact Nedoroscik flew all the way to Paris for just this one event. While his teammates competed in four other routines, a countdown timer for Nedoroscik’s performance could be seen in the corner of the screen. According to NBC, all the athlete had to do was try to relax as he waited three hours for his big moment that carried the fate of Team USA.
Like the Clark Kent of gymnastics, Nedoroscik removed his glasses when the moment was right and hopped up on the pommel horse, and just like that he instantly morphed from a background character to a world-class athlete.
Fans on social media commented on the fact that Nedoroscik apparently can’t see a thing without his glasses, thus making his near-perfect performance all the more impressive.
On X, people also joked that romance writers were likely inspired by his transformation from bookish boy to medal-winning star, though his girlfriend, Tess McCracken, seems to be taking it all in stride saying, “Some [heroes] wear glasses.”
Nedoroscik knew he had one job to do, and he did it. After the big event, he chatted with NBC and called the evening “the best moment of his life.” Long live pommel horse guy!
