Clark Kent has officially become Superman, as American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik continues to be one of the biggest stories to come out of the Paris Olympic Games. After helping the men’s gymnastics team achieve bronze with his impressive performance and then earning his own individual medal, the so-called Pommel Horse Guy has skyrocketed to fame. It wasn’t an easy road though, according to his mom. Cheryl Nedoroscik is now speaking out about the “derogatory remarks” made toward her son and the one Olympic moment when she thought she might pass out.
America fell in love with Stephen Nedoroscik, the pommel horse specialist who won a bronze medal in Paris just days after helping the men’s gymnastics squad secure its first Olympic medal since 2008. Being a specialist, the pommel horse hero didn’t compete in the other events like his teammates did, which apparently led to some not-so-heroic treatment, according to Mama Pommel Horse. Cheryl Nedoroscik told the Telegram:
I really wanted Steve to do well because there were so many derogatory remarks about the USA choosing him to be on the five-man team, since he is a specialist. And the pommel horse can be very cruel. If you ask any men gymnast, they will tell you they hate the pommel because it’s so easy to fall off. That was my biggest fear. I really wanted him to do extraordinarily well for the team. And he did.
Mama Pommel Horse has seen first-hand exactly how cruel the pommel horse can be. In 2020, Steve Nedoroscik was apparently the favorite to be the team’s pommel horse specialist in the Tokyo games, but he fell off the apparatus on the first day of the Olympic trials, ending his hopes for that year. Those memories were fresh on Cheryl's mind when Pommel Horse Guy’s big moment came this time around in Paris. The mom described her emotions, saying:
My heart is pounding like you can’t imagine in those stands. I feel like I was going to faint or pass out. I didn’t know what I was going to do but I had to do some breathing exercises. On TV, you’ll see me at the beginning. You can watch me breathing because I am just so scared. And I believe in Steve, but I also know how the pommel horse is. There’s nobody that does the pommel horse who has not fallen in a competition.
Not only does Steve Nedoroscik have two medals to prove that he not only survived but thrived in his specialty, he’s found a whole new level of fame — the kind that elicits congratulations from celebs like David Corenswet, star of the upcoming film Superman. Pommel Horse Guy will also appear on Dancing with the Stars for the competition’s 33rd season, and we can’t wait to see if and how his skill will be incorporated into the choreography.
Don’t miss Stephen Nedoroscik’s next steps, as DWTS hits the 2024 TV schedule at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, September 17, on ABC. Hopefully we’ll see Mama Pommel Horse cheering him on (but not feeling faint) from the stands there too.
