Stephen Nedoroscik fought with his inner demons and multiple eye complications to dream of making it to the Olympics. While he did not give up his gymnastics dreams and risked it all, the gymnastics community was not ready to accept him. Recalling the responses from fans after Nedoroscik secured the ticket to Paris, the young gymnast felt dejected. He remembered how people made fun of him wearing his glasses and disregarded him, “We can’t have him on the team.” But Nedoroscik did not respond and chose to work hard in silence and prove himself.

 Following his spectacular performance at the Paris Olympics where Nedoroscik won the individual bronze and also secured a bronze medal for his team– a win for the U.S. after 16 long years, the reception towards Stephen Nedoroscik changed. He was now the National hero and everyone wanted to meet him. Thus, with such a heroic tale added to his resume, it is only expected that the ‘Pommel Horse Guy’ will be subjected to some major honors. In a recent report, Stephen Nedoroscik has been selected among the 39 semi-finalists for the prestigious 95th AAU James E. Sullivan Award. 

For the uninitiated, the century-old award is usually given to “the most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level in the United States.” Owing to their incredible Olympic heroics, Stephen Nedoroscik and Fred Richards are in hot contention to bring home the award. Reacting to his recent accomplishment, Nedoroscik stated on social media, “Honoured to be a semi-finalist.” We are rooting for the 26-year-old for sure!

The Massachusetts native isn’t the only athletic star Other notable nominees for this year’s award include Katie Ledecky, Bobby Finke, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. And speaking about gymnasts, there have been 4 other gymnasts who have previously won the honor. The list includes legendary gymnasts such as Paul Hamm, Shawn Johnson, Kurt Thomas, and Simone Biles.  

The phenomenal Stephen Nedoroscik on and off the mat

This will be yet another significant milestone for Nedoroscik after his famed appearance in Dancing With The Stars. Pairing up with Riley Arnold, Nedoroscik impressed everyone with his dancing moves. As an amateur dancer, Nedoroscik upscaled himself considerably as he went all the way to the finals.

En route to the finals, Nedoroscik gifted his fans some incredible dance performances. The first surprise obviously came in the form of Nedoroscik pulling off a Superman-themed dance. This was a special one as Nedoroscik is often referred to as the ‘Clark Kent’ of gymnastics. Thus, when his fans saw him giving a shout-out to the reference, they were thrilled. Moreover, Nedoroscik also paid tribute to the US gymnastics team, which won the Olympic medal after 16 long years. 

Now, looking forward to his career, Nedoroscik has a wish that he wants to get fulfilled fast. And no, it is not another Olympic medal. While more medals will only add more charisma to his personality, Stephen Nedoroscik wants a gymnastics move to be named after him! Just like Simone Biles has 5 moves named after her, Nedoroscik too, hopes to do the same. Clarifying his intentions further, Nedoroscik posted a video on December 27 performing a new move on the Pommel Horse. He captioned it saying, “One day I’ll have my name in the code.”

Thus, turning his fortunes 360 degrees, Nedoroscik has gone from being the most hated gymnast to a hero. Conquering both inside and outside of the mat, it now remains to be seen whether the Olympic bronze medalist can carry on with his dream form in the future.