Who Is Pommel Horse Guy, The Breakout Olympic Star Everyone Is Talking About?

Stephen Nedoroscik, 25, has earned various titles, including the "Clark Kent of Men’s Gymnastics" and the "nerdy pommel horse guy." But above all, he solidified his place as an Olympic icon by clinching a spot on the podium for the USA Gymnastics men's team, earning their medal for the first time since 2008.

Nedoroscik, a Penn State alum brought on to the team exclusively for the pommel horse, sat still on the sidelines for nearly three hours until it was his time to excel. His other teammates, Frederick Richard, Brody Malone, Paul Juda, and Asher Hong, competed in the other disciplines. The pommel horse is a notoriously difficult apparatus and a weak spot for many teams.

Nedoroscik wore thick-framed glasses and appeared to be taking a nap or meditating as he waited for his turn. Then, like Superman, the athlete rose to take off his spectacles, chalked his hands, and dominated the pommel horse. He jumped off smoothly, earning a score of 14.866. Nedoroscik is seen cheering with his teammates following the triumphant performance.

"I just stayed in the moment for the whole routine, hearing [my teammates] just cheer me on the whole time," Nedoroscik told ABC News. "By the time I got to the dismount, I thought to myself ..., 'If I put this dismount up and stick the landing, we get a team medal.' So, literally, as I'm in the air, falling to my feet, you can see the smile already coming to my face, and, man, was that a moment I'll never forget."

Stephen Nedoroscik Facts 

Nedoroscik is from Worcester, Massachusetts, and is a Rubik’s cube enthusiast. He solved the puzzle in less than 20 seconds in a video before competing – a feat he deemed a " good omen" on Instagram.

A 2020 graduate of Penn State, the star studied electrical engineering and competed in gymnastics for four years.

Let's talk about Nedoroscik’s now-famous glasses. In his profile, Nedoroscik says he wears sports glasses for superstitious reasons, as reported by Self, as a friend gifted them. However, during the Olympics, the glasses he removed were actually his prescription glasses. In 2022, he revealed that his condition was strabismus, which is when the eyes do not align properly. He once told Today, “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.”

And if you're wondering about his love life, he's taken! Nedoroscik's 26-year-old girlfriend, Tess McCracken, was among the Paris crowds cheering on her boyfriend.

McCracken has been celebrating Nedoroscik's win on social media. They have been together for eight years and met at Penn State University. She also competed in gymnastics. According to NBC News, McCracken described her man as a “goofy guy” who's “really lighthearted” and “always sees the bright side of things."

Her bio is now "Ms. Pommel Horse."

Next week, the gymnast will compete again in the pommel horse final. For US viewers, it will be another monumental moment. For Nedoroscik, however, it will be just another day of doing the routine.

"This is just another day of doing the gymnastics," he said. "Sure, it’s the biggest stage in the world. It only happens once every four years, but at the same time I’m putting chalk on my hands and doing the horse for the team, it’s nothing different."

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