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Stephen Nedoroscik

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stephen Nedoroscik
Nedoroscik at the 2021 National Championships
Personal information
Full nameStephen John Nedoroscik
Country representedUnited States
Born (1998-10-28) October 28, 1998 (age 25)
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
ResidenceSarasota, Florida, U.S.
Height5 ft 5 in (165 cm)[1]
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior Elite
Years on national team2019–present
ClubEVO Gymnastics
College teamPenn State Nittany Lions (2017–2020)
Head coach(es)Syque Caesar
Assistant coach(es)Kevin Mazeika
Sam Mikulak
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 0 2
World Championships 1 0 0
NCAA Championships 2 1 0
Total 3 1 2
Men's artistic gymnastics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Team
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Pommel horse
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Kitakyushu Pommel horse
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2023 Santiago Team
FIG World Cup Series
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
FIG World Cup 2 0 0
Representing the Penn State Nittany Lions
NCAA Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 West Point Pommel horse
Gold medal – first place 2018 Chicago Pommel horse
Silver medal – second place 2019 Champaign Pommel horse
Awards

Stephen John Nedoroscik (/ˌnɛdəˈrɒzɪk/; born October 28, 1998) is an American artistic gymnast. A pommel horse specialist, he is the 2024 Olympic bronze 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.

Nedoroscik is a member of the United States men's national gymnastics team and represented the US at the 2024 Summer Olympics where 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

[edit]

Stephen John Nedoroscik[2] was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on October 28, 1998, to Cheryl and John Nedoroscik.[3] His surname is Slovak, as his great-grandparents emigrated from present-day Haligovce and Veľká Lesná, Slovakia.[4][5][6][7] He has two sisters and was named after his paternal grandfather (1927–2023), a U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II and the Korean War.[2][8][9]

Nedoroscik has no depth perception and is highly sensitive to light due to being born with coloboma and strabismus.[10][11][12][13] His eye conditions have required him to wear eyeglasses, and prevented him from having a driver's license.[14]

Nedoroscik studied electro-mechanical engineering at Worcester Technical High School and was part of its robotics automation technology program.[15] He then attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering in 2020.[14]

Gymnastics career

[edit]

Nedoroscik began his gymnastics career in 2003 and competed on all apparatuses.[16] 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 pommel horse.[17] He is well known for competing in goggles which were originally a Secret Santa gift for him from Penn State teammate Ben Cooperman.[18]

2017

[edit]

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.[19] Additionally, he qualified to compete at the 2017 U.S. National Championships, where he finished seventh on pommel horse.[20]

2018

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Nedoroscik began the 2018 season competing at the Winter Cup Challenge and placed fourth on pommel horse.[21] 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.[22] Although already pre-qualified to the U.S. National Championships, Nedoroscik competed at the National Qualifier, where he finished fourth on pommel horse.[23] At the National Championships, Nedoroscik placed ninth on pommel horse after having a subpar performance on day two of the competition.[24]

2019

[edit]

Nedoroscik competed at the 2019 Winter Cup and placed first on pommel horse, winning his first elite-level title. As a result, he was added to the national team for the first time.[25] Nedoroscik made his international debut at the Doha World Cup, where he finished sixth.[26] At the NCAA National Championships, Nedoroscik helped Penn State finish sixth as a team and 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.[27] 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.[28] Nedoroscik ended the season competing at the Cottbus World Cup, where he finished eighth.[29]

2020–21

[edit]

In early 2020, Nedoroscik competed at the Melbourne World Cup, where he won gold on pommel horse, his first international medal.[30] 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.[31] Nedoroscik's senior NCAA season was cut short due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the NCAA Championships were canceled.[32] Nedoroscik was awarded the Nissen Emery Award, the highest honor in college men's gymnastics.[33]

Nedoroscik returned to competition at the 2021 Winter Cup, where he placed second on pommel horse behind Alec Yoder.[34] At the 2021 U.S. National Championships, Nedoroscik placed first on pommel horse and won his first elite-level national title.[35] As a result, he qualified to compete at the 2020 Olympic Trials.[36] At the Olympic Trials Nedoroscik fell on the first day of competition. As a result, he finished third on pommel horse and the selection committee opted to choose Yoder, who finished first, as the individual athlete to send to the Olympic Games.[37]

In September, Nedoroscik competed at the Worlds team selection trials. He was named as one of the six members after posting scores of 14.8 and 15.5 during the two days of competition.[38] 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.[39]

2022

[edit]

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.[40] He next competed at the U.S. National Championships, where he won his second consecutive national title on the pommel horse.[41] 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.[42] During qualifications, Nedoroscik finished second on pommel horse and qualified to the event final. During the team final, he contributed scores on pommel horse toward the USA's fifth-place finish.[43] During the pommel horse final, he finished fifth.

2023

[edit]

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, where he placed first on pommel horse.[44] He next competed at the Xfinity National Championships, where he once again placed first on pommel horse.[45] 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.[46]

At the Pan American Games, Nedoroscik helped the United States win team gold. Individually, he qualified to the pommel horse final.[47] During the pommel horse final, he finished fifth.[48]

2024

[edit]

Nedoroscik competed at the Baku World Cup, where he co-won gold on pommel horse alongside Lee Chih-kai.[49]

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 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.[50]

"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."

–Nedoroscik in Paris, 2024[51]

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.[52][53] 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 his sole routine in the team final event.[54] 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.[55] 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. Nedoroscik garnered significant media attention for his performances in the 2024 Summer Olympics and has been dubbed "The Specialist"[56] and "Pommel Horse Guy".[57] His removal of his eyeglasses before his pommel horse routines has been widely compared to Clark Kent's transformation into Superman.[58][59]

Personal life

[edit]

Since 2016, Nedoroscik has been in a relationship with Tess McCracken, a fellow collegiate gymnast at Penn State.[60] The couple lives in Sarasota, Florida with their cat Kyushu, named after Kitakyushu, Japan, where Nedoroscik won his gold medal at the 2021 World Championships.[61]

Outside of gymnastics, Nedoroscik enjoys solving the Rubik's Cube, and has a personal record of 8.664 seconds.[62]

Competitive history

[edit]
Year Event Team AA FX PH SR VT PB HB
2015 Junior Olympic National Championships (JO15) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2016 Junior Olympic National Championships (JO16) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2017 NCAA Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships 7
2018 Winter Cup 4
NCAA Championships 6 1st place, gold medalist(s)
National Qualifier 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships 9
2019 Winter Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Doha World Cup 6
NCAA Championships 6 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Summer Universiade 13
U.S. National Championships 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Cottbus World Cup 8
2020 Melbourne World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2021 Winter Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Olympic Trials 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
World Team Trials 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2022 U.S. Classic 1st place, gold medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships 5 5
2023 Winter Cup 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
U.S. Classic 1st place, gold medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Pan American Games 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5
2024 Winter Cup 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Baku World Cup 1st place, gold medalist(s)
U.S. National Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Olympic Trials 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Olympic Games 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Stephen Nedoroscik". gopsusports.com. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "2017 Men's Gymnastics Roster – Steven Nedoroscik". Penn State Athletics. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  3. ^ "Stephen Nedoroscik USAG profile". USA Gymnastics. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  4. ^ "Obituary - John A. Nedoroscik (1891-1981)". Worcester Telegram. January 3, 1981. p. 8.
  5. ^ "Obituary - Susan A Nedoroscik (nee Zelonka) (1895-2002)". Worcester Telegram. October 19, 2002.
  6. ^ "Jan Nedoroscik 1891 baptism - FamilySearch Slovakia Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1935". FamilySearch.
  7. ^ "Susanna Zselyenka 1895 baptism - FamilySearch Slovakia Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1935". FamilySearch.
  8. ^ Abrahamson, Rachel Paula (July 30, 2024). "Pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik reveals the meaning of his secret on-air signal". Today. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  9. ^ "Obituary - Stephen J. Nedoroscik (1927-2023)". Mulhane Funeral Home.
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  11. ^ Freedman, Ani (July 30, 2024). "'Pommel horse guy' and Olympic sensation Stephen Nedroscik has two vision-impairing conditions—but that didn't hold him back from being a champion". Fortune. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
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  49. ^ "Weekend Recap: MAG/WAG Baku World Cup; WAG International Gymnix; T&T Winter Classic Invitational". USA Gymnastics. March 11, 2024.
  50. ^ "Frederick Richard, Brody Malone and more named to men's U.S. Olympic gymnastics team". NBC News. June 29, 2024.
  51. ^ "Why gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik wears glasses: What to know about his eyesight". TODAY.com. July 31, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  52. ^ Petrequin, Samuel (July 27, 2024). "Job done. Pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik delivers for U.S gymnastics team in Paris". abcnews.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  53. ^ Dennehy, Cathal (July 27, 2024). "'Perfection isn't attainable but we'll try' - McClenaghan coasts into Olympic final". Irish Examiner. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  54. ^ "Team USA's Stephen Nedoroscik Is an Internet—and Gymnastics—Hero". Time. July 29, 2024.
  55. ^ "US gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik shares story behind viral meme — while wearing Hoda's sunglasses". Today. July 30, 2024.
  56. ^ "Stephen Nedoroscik, The Specialist". Twitter.
  57. ^ "Stephen 'Pommel Horse Guy' Nedoroscik adds another bronze medal to his Olympic tally". AP News. August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  58. ^ "Stephen Nedoroscik pommel horse: Social media reacts to American gymnast's bronze medal-clinching routine". USA Today. July 29, 2024.
  59. ^ "U.S. Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik Goes Viral After Helping Team Secure Bronze—Here's When He'll Compete Next". Forbes. July 30, 2024.
  60. ^ Gibson, Kelsie (July 30, 2024). "Who Is Stephen Nedoroscik's Girlfriend? All About Tess McCracken". People. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  61. ^ "Pommel horse guy is taken! Meet Stephen Nedoroscik's girlfriend, who 'absolutely' agrees with those memes". TODAY.com. July 30, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  62. ^ Murray, Conor. "U.S. Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik Goes Viral After Helping Team Secure Bronze—Here's When He'll Compete Next". Forbes.
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