Stephen Nedoroscik had just one job heading into the men’s gymnastics team final at the Paris Olympics on Monday, July 29: nail the pommel horse. This Nedoroscik pommel routine, performed just before securing a U.S. bronze medal, represented years of dedication and hard work. #NedoroscikPommelRoutine
Nail it he did. The 25-year-old’s impressive display on the apparatus helped push him and his Team USA teammates Paul Juda, Fred Richard, Brody Malone and Asher Hong to a bronze model, the U.S. men’s gymnastic team’s first Olympic medal in 16 years.
“It was just the greatest moment of my life, I think,” the athlete told reporters in Paris, including PEOPLE, of acing his routine with a 14.866. “[I’m] so happy to have been there.”
Nedoroscik said it’d been a “really long day” leading up to his moment in the spotlight, but that he was excited by the fact that pommel horse was the final apparatus.
“I framed that in my head as a positive, like I can be the exclamation point,” he said.
Prior to his event, the Massachusetts native — who quickly became a fan favorite on social media thanks to his glasses, which some likened to Clark Kent — said that as he completed his breathing exercises, he was able to hear big cheers for Malone and Juda, and knew that they were setting him for success. #NedoroscikPommelRoutine
Furthermore, this moment solidified his place in gymnastics history and highlighted the significance of his Nedoroscik pommel routine in achieving success.
