Stephen Nedoroscik has become an unexpected household name during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Team USA’s pommel horse specialist — known now as the ‘pommel horse guy’ — won a bronze medal in the event on Saturday, helping build up his legendary status at the Paris Games. With that, the 25-year-old became just the second American to medal in the event since 1984. He beat out Great Britain’s Max Whitlock ― the two-time defending Olympic champion ― for a spot on the podium. Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan won the gold, while Nariman Kurbanov of Kazakhstan took the silver.
‘I’ve just been consistently on top of this world for the last week now,’ Nedoroscik said in a news conference on Saturday. ‘I literally had to go and turn off my notifications yesterday because I needed to lock in for this competition.’
The 25-year-old electrical engineering major from Penn State also helped U.S. men’s gymnastics earn a bronze medal in the team final. Over the Paris Games, he has become a social media meme, garnering attention on social media.
‘I’m glad that people are making memes of me,’ Nedoroscik said. ‘I think it’s so funny. It’s almost surreal to finally wind down after a day of workout and go on TikTok and see someone made a meme of me.’
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Here are social media reactions to Nedoroscik earning a bronze medal on Saturday:
Stephen Nedoroscik pommel horse bronze medal | Social media reactions
USA TODAY’s Tom Schad contributed to this report.