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US' Stephen Nedoroscik makes a peace sign during the artistic gymnastics men's qualification during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on July 27, 2024© Getty

Meet USA's 'Pommel Horse Hero' Stephen Nedoroscik: why he wears glasses, his gymnast girlfriend, and more

The Worcester, Massachusetts native secured Team USA's first men's gymnastics win in 16 years

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
July 30, 2024
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Less than a week in, the 2024 Olympics in Paris have already served plenty of unmissable moments, from Celine Dion's long-awaited comeback during the Opening Ceremony, to Simone Biles and the rest of the USA Women's Gymnastics Team winning first place in the team finals.

But the day before the women struck gold, it was the men's team that celebrated a long-awaited win, their first in a whopping 16 years.

The athlete who secured their bronze medal was Stephen Nedoroscik, who immediately went viral, spawned dozens of memes, and ignited crushes for his quiet demeanor — but jaw-dropping skills on the pommel horse.

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Here's everything to know about him, and yes, whether he's single or not.

Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik of Team United States poses on the Today Show Set on July 30, 2024 in Paris, France© Getty
Stephen has been declared Gen Z's new Clark Kent

He is originally from Massachusetts

Stephen, 25, was born in Worcester, to mom and dad Cheryl and John Nedoroscik, and has Slovak ancestry.

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He now resides in Sarasota, Florida, though in 2020, he graduated from Pennsylvania State University, with a degree in electrical engineering.

Stephen Nedoroscik of United States on Pommel Horse during the Men's Artistic Gymnastics Team Final on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France© Getty
The Olympian competes exclusively on the pommel horse

He is a pommel horse specialist

Though growing up Stephen participated in various gymnastic apparatuses, since 2015, he has focused all his efforts on the pommel horse, and he represented Team USA exclusively by competing in that apparatus. 

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While at first he went viral for his nonchalant attitude while waiting for his turn to compete, he quickly went from "nerdy" descriptions to being declared a "pommel horse hero," and was even compared to Clark Kent after securing the bronze medal for his team.

Stephen Nedoroscik of United States celebrates his performance on Pommel Horse during the Men's Artistic Gymnastics Team Final on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France© Getty
He secured Team USA's first men's gymnastics win since 2008

The reason he wears glasses

As Stephen sat for almost three hours for his turn to compete, fans fell for his bookish looks, thanks in large part to the glasses he wears.

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Though he of course competed without them — though he was caught squinting at the pommel horse before stepping up to the floor — Stephen actually has two vision impairments: coloboma, a hole that is present from birth in any part of the eye, and strabismus, when the eyes don't properly align with each other when looking at something.

Photo shared by Stephen Nedoroscik with his girlfriend of 8 years, former gymnast Tess McCracken© Instagram
His girlfriend of almost ten years declared herself "Ms. Pommel Horse"

Sorry ladies, he's taken

Gen Z's new Olympian Clark Kent belongs to Tess McCracken, herself a former gymnast, who he met while studying at Penn State; they celebrated their eight-year anniversary earlier this month.

Tess, who stepped away from gymnastics in 2020, and has a Master's in Biotechnology from Penn, made it known that her boyfriend is in fact taken as soon as he went viral. Her Twitter handle is "@stephens_gf" and her bio reads: "Ms. Pommel Horse."

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