After Stephen Nedoroscik nailed his now-iconic pommel horse routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he underwent drug testing.
“It took three hours after that competition for me to even check my phone, because right afterwards, of course, with how drug testing works out here, I got chosen,” Nedoroscik, 25, told GQ on Sunday, August 4.
Following his performance, Nedoroscik’s fame skyrocketed, with the internet likening him to Clark Kent due to his glasses. Nedoroscik explained to the outlet that he wasn’t aware that he became a worldwide sensation until hours later, when he sat down for dinner with his family.
“And I only got about 15 minutes with them, and my girlfriend goes, ‘Dude, have you looked at your phone?’” he told the outlet. “And I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ She’s like, ‘You’re trending on Twitter.’ And I was like, ‘You’re joking me.’ It’s insane.”
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In part thanks to Nedoroscik’s routine, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team took home their first medal in 16 years on July 29. (Nedoroscik and fellow gymnasts Brody Malone, Fred Richard, Asher Hong and Paul Juda secured the bronze medal.)
“It was just the greatest moment of my life, I think,” Nedoroscik told reporters after his performance. “[I’m] so happy to have been there.”
Nedoroscik noted that he had a “really long day” waiting prior to his performance. (Nedoroscik was last on the lineup to compete.) “I framed that in my head as a positive, like, I can be the exclamation point,” he said.
Days later, Nedoroscik earned bronze again in the men’s pommel horse final, finishing behind Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan and Kazakhstan’s Nariman Kurbanov.
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While reflecting back on his achievements, Nedoroscik noted that he was “surprised” by how he managed the nerves during the Olympics.
“I totally thought that the pressure was going to be so much more intense,” Nedoroscik told Teen Vogue on Tuesday, August 6. “But somehow when I went up to that pommel horse [on Saturday], I literally just enjoyed the moment and performed.”
After the games come to a close later this month, Nedoroscik told the outlet that he’s excited to press pause on training and “have all this time to just breathe, heal up and relax.” But not for too long — Nedoroscik is already looking toward the future.
“Bronze is a great achievement, but I got eyes for something shinier in my future #2028,” Nedoroscik wrote via X, hinting at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
