2024 Paris Olympics

Worcester's Stephen Nedoroscik wins bronze in pommel horse final

Team USA fans haven't been able to get enough of the 25-year-old pommel horse specialist, who won a second bronze medal on Saturday.

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American Stephen Nedoroscik won the Paris Olympics pommel horse bronze medal just days after becoming an overnight sensation by helping the U.S. men win their first Olympic team medal in 16 years.

The dream Olympics continue for Worcester, Massachusetts, native Stephen Nedoroscik, who is now bringing home two bronze medals from the 2024 Paris Games.

The pommel horse specialist competed in the individual event final Saturday, scoring 15.300 to take third in the competition behind Ireland's Rhys McClenaghaan (15.533) and Kazakhstani gymnast Nariman Kurbanov (15.433).

Nedoroscik, who went fifth in the rotation, had to wait for three more gymnasts to perform to see if he would hold onto the bronze medal position and secure Team USA men's first individual medal since 2016.

Social media erupted when the result was final.

"He did it again!" tweeted the City of Worcester, along with a message of congratulations and pride.

Worcester native Stephen Nedoroscik, left, and Ireland's Rhys Mc Clenaghan celebrate after winning bronze and gold, respectively, in the men's pommel horse final at the Bercy Arena in Paris on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Gabriel Bouys / AFP via Getty Images
Worcester native Stephen Nedoroscik, left, and Ireland's Rhys Mc Clenaghan celebrate after winning bronze and gold, respectively, in the men's pommel horse final at the Bercy Arena in Paris on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

NBC10 Boston's Bianca Beltran who is in Paris covering all of the action for us caught up with Nedoroscik after the medal ceremony and asked him about the exciting win.

"This means everything. This is just -- I've been working so hard to get this," he said. "It just means the world to me that I was able to go out there and for the ninth routine in a row, ninth competition in a row, get out there, do my job and hit a really nice routine that got me some hardware, baby."

Nedoroscik became an instant sensation Monday when he anchored the U.S. men's gymnastics team to the podium for the first time in 16 years with an outstanding performance in his signature event.

The internet hasn't been able to get enough of the 25-year-old American -- dubbing him 'Clark Kent' and 'pommel horse guy' -- and now Nedoroscik, who was brought to Paris exclusively for the pommel horse apparatus, has two bronze medals to his name and he's loving the attention.

"It is just awesome seeing the amount of people reaching out talking about pommel horse, I'm beyond excited that more people are getting interested in men's gymnastics and I hope they continue to support it," he said.

And what about all the Clark Kent memes?

American Stephen Nedoroscik won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics pommel horse final, his second medal win this week.

"It is unbelievable. I still can't believe the amount of people that are making me memes and sending me things. And it's just the coolest thing ever," he added. "I mean Simone Biles yesterday came up to me and said 'look at this meme of you I saw.' I mean it's all just so surreal. I can't wait to just soak it all in after this competition now that I'm not so locked in anymore."

In Sterling, Mass., there was a watch party taking place at the gym where Nedoroscik once trained. He has inspired fans there and all over the world, and he had a message for anyone with similar eye conditions to his.

"I've never let my eye condition hold me back. I don't have depth perception. I'm hyper sensitive to sunlight and lights in general. But I've never let it hold me back," he explained. "And I just hope that people that are like me and have those difficulties see that anything is possible and to all of them, I hope you chase your dreams."

Strabismus and coloboma don't stop Stephen Nedoroscik, of Worcester, from excelling on the pommel horse. Here's how he does it.

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