Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik is now an Olympic medalist. But to the internet, he'll always be lovingly remembered as “Pommel horse guy.”
Nedoroscik, who qualified for the Olympic team solely on the strength of his pommel horse routine, became an internet favorite this week after having sat on the sidelines for nearly three hours during the first five rotations before he anchored the U.S. on his specialty event.
Viewers online couldn't get enough of Nedoroscik, posting images of him on the sidelines and then again after he crushed his routine.
Some labeled him "pommel horse guy." Others joked that his job is “pommel horse” — a nod to the "Barbie" movie, in which Ken's job is described as "beach." A few described him as Team USA's "babygirl,” a word used by fans online to label their favorite men (fictional or real).
Many also compared him to Clark Kent, the alter ego of Superman, because of his glasses. The official account on X for NBC’s Olympic & Paralympic coverage even deemed Nedoroscik “the Clark Kent of pommel horse!”
Nedoroscik, a Penn State alum with a degree in electrical engineering, told NBC's "TODAY" show that he considers the Clark Kent comments “an awesome comparison.”
“I will definitely take that,” he said with a laugh. “In a way, it is kind of like that. You know, I’m a goofy guy with the glasses on, but as soon as I take them off, I’m locked in. I’m ready to go.”
In a video posted to his TikTok account in August 2022, Nedoroscik mentioned that he is cross-eyed and that he can inexplicably switch his dominant eye.
Before his routine, Nedoroscik removed his glasses. He told "TODAY" that if he kept his glasses on, they would fly off mid-routine.
“I don’t even really see when I’m doing my gymnastics,” he said. “It’s all in the hands. I can feel everything.”
Author and social media personality Hank Green was among the viewers who were captivated. He celebrated Nedoroscik's performance on the pommel horse as a win for nerds.
"People who aren’t nerds don’t understand how long we’ve been waiting for an electrical engineer from Pennsylvania POMMEL THE HELL OUT OF A HORSE," Green said on X.
