# Stephen Nedoroscik

Stephen John Nedoroscik OLY (/ˌnɛdəˈrɒzɪk/ NED-ə-ROZ-ik; born October 28, 1998) is an American artistic gymnast. A pommel horse specialist, he is a two-time Olympic medalist, the 2021 world champion—the first and only American to win the event—a two-time FIG World Cup champion, a four-time U.S. national champion, and a two-time NCAA national champion for the apparatus.
A member of the U.S. men's national team, Nedoroscik represented his country at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He won an individual bronze medal for pommel horse, becoming just the fourth American man since World War II to win an Olympic medal on the apparatus, and another bronze medal in the team event, the first Olympic team medal for U.S. men's gymnastics since 2008.

## Early life and education

Stephen John Nedoroscik was born on October 28, 1998, in Worcester, Massachusetts. His father, John Nedoroscik, is a retired police officer for the Webster Police Department, and his mother, Cheryl Nedoroscik (née Courtney), is a client experience manager for a local savings bank in Holden. He was raised in Indian Lake with his older sister, Samantha, and his twin sister, Anastasia. Their paternal grandfather, whom Nedoroscik is named after, was a U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II and the Korean War. Nedoroscik is of Polish and Slovak descent; his paternal great-grandparents emigrated from present-day Haligovce and Veľká Lesná, Slovakia.
Nedoroscik was born with strabismus and coloboma, causing him to have a lack of depth perception and a high sensitivity to light. The vision impairments requires him to wear eyeglasses and prevents him from obtaining a driver's license. He is also asthmatic. Nedoroscik studied electro-mechanical engineering at Worcester Technical High School and was part of its robotics automation technology program. He then attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering in 2020.

## Gymnastics career

Nedoroscik began his gymnastics career in 2003 and competed on all apparatuses. Around the time he was in high school, he noticed that he was only progressing on pommel horse and decided to specialize in that event. In 2015 and 2016, he won the Junior Olympic national title on the pommel horse. He is well known for competing in goggles which were originally a Secret Santa gift for him from Penn State teammate Ben Cooperman.

### 2017

Nedoroscik began competing for the Penn State Nittany Lions in 2017 and became the NCAA National Champion on the pommel horse during his freshman season. Additionally, he qualified to compete at the 2017 U.S. National Championships, where he finished seventh on pommel horse.

### 2018

Nedoroscik began the 2018 season competing at the Winter Cup Challenge and placed fourth on the pommel horse. Nedoroscik won the Big Ten title on the pommel horse. At the 2018 NCAA National Championships, Nedoroscik defended his pommel horse title and helped Penn State finish sixth as a team. Although already pre-qualified to the U.S. National Championships, Nedoroscik competed at the National Qualifier, where he finished fourth on pommel horse. At the National Championships, Nedoroscik placed ninth on pommel horse after having a subpar performance on day two of the competition.

### 2019

Nedoroscik competed at the 2019 Winter Cup and placed first on the pommel horse, winning his first elite-level title. As a result, he was added to the national team for the first time. Nedoroscik made his international debut at the Doha World Cup, where he finished sixth. At the NCAA National Championships, Nedoroscik helped Penn State finish sixth as a team while he finished second on pommel horse behind Alec Yoder of Ohio State.
Nedoroscik and Alex Diab were selected to compete at the World University Games. Nedoroscik finished thirteenth during qualification and did not advance to the pommel horse final. At the 2019 U.S. National Championships, he finished second on pommel horse behind Sam Mikulak. Nedoroscik ended the season competing at the Cottbus World Cup, where he finished eighth.

### 2020–21

In early 2020, Nedoroscik competed at the Melbourne World Cup and won gold on the pommel horse, his first international medal. He next traveled to Azerbaijan to compete at the Baku World Cup; however, he immediately returned home when the U.S. State Department raised its alert level for travel to Azerbaijan due to COVID-19 fears. Nedoroscik's senior NCAA season was cut short due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the NCAA Championships were canceled. Nedoroscik was awarded the Nissen Emery Award, the highest honor in college men's gymnastics.
Nedoroscik returned to competition at the 2021 Winter Cup, where he placed second on pommel horse behind Alec Yoder. At the 2021 U.S. National Championships, Nedoroscik placed first on pommel horse and won his first elite-level national title. As a result, he qualified to compete at the 2020 Olympic Trials. At the Olympic Trials Nedoroscik fell on the first day of competition. As a result, he finished third on the pommel horse and the selection committee opted to choose Yoder, who finished first, as the individual athlete to send to the Olympic Games.
In September, Nedoroscik competed at the Worlds team selection trials. He was named one of the six members after posting scores of 14.8 and 15.5 during the two days of competition. At the 2021 World Championships, Nedoroscik qualified to the pommel horse final in second place, behind Weng Hao of China. During the final, he bested both Weng and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Kazuma Kaya to win the world title. This was the United States' first world title on pommel horse and the first gold medal won by an American male artistic gymnast since 2011. Additionally, it was the only gold medal won by a USA gymnast, man or woman, at the 2021 World Championships.

### 2022

In late July, Nedoroscik returned to competition and competed at the U.S. Classic. Although he fell off the pommel horse, he finished with the top score. He next competed at the U.S. National Championships, where he won his second consecutive national title on the pommel horse. In October, Nedoroscik was named to the team to compete at the 2022 World Championships alongside Brody Malone, Asher Hong, Colt Walker, and Donnell Whittenburg. During qualifications, Nedoroscik finished second on pommel horse and qualified for the event final. During the team final, he contributed scores on the pommel horse toward the USA's fifth-place finish. During the pommel horse final, he finished fifth.

### 2023

In February, Nedoroscik competed at the Winter Cup; he placed third on pommel horse behind Ian Skirkey and Ignacio Yockers. In August, Nedoroscik competed at the Core Hydration Classic and placed first on the pommel horse. He next competed at the Xfinity National Championships, where he once again placed first on pommel horse. The following day, he was named to the team to compete at the Pan American Games taking place in late October alongside Donnell Whittenburg, Colt Walker, Shane Wiskus (later replaced by Curran Phillips), and Cameron Bock.
At the Pan American Games, Nedoroscik helped the United States win team gold. Individually, he qualified for the pommel horse final. During the pommel horse final, he finished fifth.

### 2024

In March 2024, Nedoroscik competed at the Baku World Cup, where he co-won gold on pommel horse alongside Lee Chih-kai.
During the 2024 U.S. National Championships, Nedoroscik won the national title for the pommel horse. This led to his selection for the 2024 United States national team and his qualification to compete at the 2024 US Olympic Trials. After his performance at the U.S. National Championships and the U.S. Olympic Trials, where his combined score placed him first on pommel horse, he was selected to the U.S. Olympic team to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games alongside Brody Malone, Fred Richard, Asher Hong, and Paul Juda.
   "It's [eyesight] not necessarily clear, but the thing about pommel horse is if I keep them [eyeglasses] on, they’re gonna fly somewhere. 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 my gymnastics. It's all in the hands – I can feel everything."

#### 2024 Olympic Games

During qualifications at the Olympic Games, Nedoroscik qualified for the pommel horse final in second place, behind Rhys McClenaghan. They both scored 15.200; however, McClenaghan advanced to the final as the top-ranked gymnast based on his higher execution score. Additionally, he helped Team USA qualify to the team final in fifth place. Due to this fifth-place ranking, the United States started the team final competing on still rings and would finish on pommel horse. Nedoroscik therefore had to wait about two and a half hours before competing in his sole routine in the team final event. For his pommel horse routine, Nedoroscik performed a less difficult set than in qualification but still scored 14.866, helping Team USA win the bronze medal, its first medal since the 2008 games.
In the pommel horse final, he scored a 15.300 to win the bronze medal, the first individual medal for the men's team since the 2016 games.

## In the media

Nedoroscik garnered significant media attention for his performances in the 2024 Summer Olympics and has been dubbed "The Specialist" and "Pommel Horse Guy". His removal of his eyeglasses before his pommel horse routines has been widely compared to Clark Kent's transformation into Superman. After returning home from the Olympics, Nedoroscik received a virtual greeting from actor David Corenswet, who stars as the eponymous character in Superman (2025), on behalf of non-profit Gold Meets Golden and its partner Samsung.
Nedoroscik appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on the August 13, 2024 episode. The following day, he appeared on the Today Show with b-boy Victor Montalvo, and Watch What Happens Live! alongside sprinter Gabby Thomas. He also appeared as a co-presenter with Olympians Caeleb Dressel and Ilona Maher, Paralympian Ezra Frech, and actors Brendan Hunt and Jane Lynch, at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.

### Dancing with the Stars

Nedoroscik was initially set to perform in the 2024 Gold Over America Tour, but withdrew to participate in season 33 of Dancing with the Stars. He was the first male gymnast to compete in the series, and was partnered with professional dancer Rylee Arnold. They reached the finale and finished in fourth place on November 26, 2024. Nedoroscik will co-host the Dancing with the Stars: Live! tour in 2025, alongside professional dancer Emma Slater.
| Week # | Dance / Song | Theme | Judges' scores | Judges' scores | Judges' scores | Judges' scores | Result |
| Week # | Dance / Song | Theme | Inaba | Guest | Hough | Tonioli | Result |
| 1 | Jive / "Don't Stop Me Now" | Season Premiere | 7 | - | 7 | 7 | No elimination |
| 2 | Paso doble / "Superman Theme" | Oscars Night | 8 | - | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Superstition" | Soul Train | 8 | 8 | 7 $^1$ | 7 | No elimination |
| 4 | Foxtrot / "Here I Go Again" | Hair Metal | 8 | 8 | 8 $^2$ | 8 | Safe |
| 5 | Argentine tango / "7 Nation Army" | Dedication Night | 8 | 8 | 9 $^3$ | 8 | Safe |
| 6 | Charleston / "A Star Is Born" Team Freestyle (Team Roar) / "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" | Disney Night | 8 8 | - | 8 8 | 8 8 | Safe |
| 7 | Contemporary / "I Ran (So Far Away)" | Halloween Nightmares | 10 | - | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 8 | Viennese waltz / "Glimpse of Us" Instant Jive / "Love Is Embarrassing" | 500th Anniversary Celebration | 10 9 | - | 10 8 | 9 8 | Safe |
| 9 | Cha-cha / "Bailar" Tango / "Sweet Disposition" | Semifinals | 8 10 | - | 8 9 | 9 9 | No elimination |
| 10 | Quickstep / "I'll Be There for You" Freestyle / "Viva la Vida" | Finals | 10 10 | - | 9 10 | 10 10 | 4th place |
$^1$ Guest judge Rosie Perez $^2$ Guest judge Gene Simmons $^3$ Guest judge Mark Ballas

## Personal life

Nedoroscik has been in a relationship with retired gymnast Tess McCracken, who also competed for the Penn State Nittany Lions, since July 4, 2016. They are college sweethearts, having met as incoming freshmen while participating in student-athlete orientation. The couple currently resides in Sarasota, Florida, with their orange tabby Kyushu.
During broadcast competitions and appearances, Nedoroscik sends non-verbal greetings to his loved ones by gently tugging on his right ear. It originated as a signal to his grandfather and shares similarities to Carol Burnett's signature gesture at the end of every episode of her self-titled television series.
Nedoroscik has been described as humble and down to earth. Michael Meagher, one of his high school teachers said, "I remember a story: Senior year, he's always in school, never missing a day, he's missed two or three in a row, and he came back to school. I said, 'Stephen, where the heck have you been?' And he said 'I was at the Junior Olympics.' I said, 'come on ... doing what? He says, 'I'm in gymnastics and I competed in the pommel horse.' I said, 'well, how did you do?' He said 'I won,' so just like that, you would've never known this kid, not braggadocious, not talking a story, just going out and doing his thing."
Outside of gymnastics, Nedoroscik enjoys playing chess, video games—particularly Rocket League—solving sudoku, and the Rubik's Cube; for the latter, he has a personal record of 8.664 seconds.

## Competitive history

| Year | Event | Team | PH |
| 2015 | Junior Olympic National Championships (JO15) | | |
| 2016 | Junior Olympic National Championships (JO16) | | |
| 2017 | NCAA Championships | | |
| 2017 | U.S. National Championships | | 7 |
| 2018 | Winter Cup | | 4 |
| 2018 | NCAA Championships | 6 | |
| 2018 | National Qualifier | | |
| 2018 | U.S. National Championships | | 9 |
| 2019 | Winter Cup | | |
| 2019 | Doha World Cup | | 6 |
| 2019 | NCAA Championships | 6 | |
| 2019 | Summer Universiade | | 13 |
| 2019 | U.S. National Championships | | |
| 2019 | Cottbus World Cup | | 8 |
| 2020 | Melbourne World Cup | | |
| 2021 | Winter Cup | | |
| 2021 | U.S. National Championships | | |
| 2021 | Olympic Trials | | |
| 2021 | World Team Trials | | |
| 2021 | World Championships | | |
| 2022 | U.S. Classic | | |
| 2022 | U.S. National Championships | | |
| 2022 | World Championships | 5 | 5 |
| 2023 | Winter Cup | | |
| 2023 | U.S. Classic | | |
| 2023 | U.S. National Championships | | |
| 2023 | Pan American Games | | 5 |
| 2024 | Winter Cup | | |
| 2024 | Baku World Cup | | |
| 2024 | U.S. National Championships | | |
| 2024 | Olympic Trials | | |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | | |