Stephen Nedoroscik, USA's pommel horse hero and 'Clark Kent,' births memes at Paris Olympics
Team USA's Stephen Nedoroscik has been likened by social media users to a sleeper agent and Clark Kent. He looked (too) relaxed while waiting, and as soon as it was his turn, he turned into a man of action at the pommel horse.
The 25-year-old gymnast made the rounds online for different moments and memes at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Users were amused at how he was caught on camera snoozing as he waited for his event. Stephen was only at the Olympics to compete for the pommel horse, which happened to be scheduled for last. Hilariously, NBC even had a timer for how long the wait was for the gymnast's turn.
Meanwhile, users on X likened Stephen to Barbie's Ken, with his one job being to "horse" or 'pommel."
"1. Arrive. 2. Pommel. 3. Leave." one user joked.
"Obsessed with this guy on the US men's gymnastics team [whose] only job is pommel horse, so he just sits there until he's activated like a sleeper agent, whips off his glasses like Clark Kent and does a pommel horse routine that helps deliver the team its first medal in 16 years," another said.
While waiting, Stephen also solved a Rubik's cube in under 10 seconds, a feat he shared on his Instagram stories.
Superhero transformation
Stephen was also compared to Clark Kent, the secret identity of Superman, as he had the look and vibe down—like the last son of Krypton, the gymnast wore glasses and would take them off when it was time to spring into action.
Stephen Nedoroscik, the Clark Kent of pommel horse! 🫡🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/1HfYFSbJvH
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
But there's actually a reason why he removes his specs as he has strabismus, the medical term for being cross-eyed. In a 2022 TikTok, Stephen said that he could switch his dominant eye on command. The athlete also recently told Today that he can't see clearly without his glasses, but that he has to take them off or else they'll fly off.
“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," he said.
With his help, Team USA was able to bring its first bronze Olympic medal in men's gymnastics since 2008.
Stephen is set to compete in the individual men's pommel horse final on August 3.
The 2024 Paris Games mark Stephen's Olympic debut. He said that being named for the team was "a dream come true."
"I have experienced injury, failure, success, loss, and every feeling in between this quad. There have been moments where I thought, 'maybe I can't,' but (I) continued to dream big," he said on Instagram.