After Paris, the dynamics have significantly changed for men’s gymnastics and of course, Stephen Nedoroscik. He sealed the deal for the USA squad with his final Pommel Horse routine in the men’s team finals, breaking a 16-year-long curse, and its impact was unfathomable. One after the other, opportunities started rolling in – interviews, show invites, Dancing With The Stars casting, Emmy award presentation— you name it. People also started identifying as the ‘pommel horse guy.’

But it wasn’t just his gymnastics skills; Stephen Nedoroscik’s unique habits, like meditating with his eyes closed or his Rubik’s cube obsession, also started resonating with people. And honestly, all that fame has played a huge role in helping the sport grow. On the Shawn and Andrew podcasts, Stephen said, “It’s like amazing to know that because of what me and my team did over this summer at Paris like, people are looking interested in the sport and putting their kids in it.” He mentioned how people have been dressing as the pommel horse for Halloween, which indicates how relatable he made the apparatus for them.

If this is the impact in 3 months, imagine what can happen over the coming years should these men continue to push on the pedal. Stephen Nedoroscik shared, “And like more than anything, I am so excited to see what impact like our journey at the Olympics has on like the sport in general, coming up in this like NCAA year when like its gonna be streamed and people can find a team that they resonate with and like really buy into the sport.”

It’s not easy to become someone people look up to, but Team USA hit it out of the park, and their growing fandom is no surprise. Stephen, for instance, won a bronze medal in the individual pommel horse event, the first for the U.S. in eight years. Meanwhile, Fred Richard made history as a groundbreaking black gymnast from America at the Paris Olympics. No wonder he’s entered the Time 100 list at 20!

And the best part? While they were etching history for the world, if you ask the boys, they believe they were just having fun. “We’re just a goofy group of dudes that are elite athletes at the Olympic stage. We would literally play charades throughout the Olympics to just keep the weight off of each other’s shoulders.” But one thing is set in stone: each of them wants more attention for their sport. Especially given when most of them were first making a name for themselves, there wasn’t anyone they could look up to as a role model.

Stephen Nedoroscik plays the role model he never had

Stephen Nedoroscik has charted a tough course to enter gymnastics, battling his eye conditions and dealing with the sport lacking popularity. But that is not all; apparently, he also did not have anyone whose career trajectory he could emulate. Nedoroscik recently admitted that he would never really watch gymnastics and that, ” “Like I enjoyed doing the sports so much, but I never really had a role model in it whatsoever.” 

But when Stephen got into college, he switched his perspective. He started keeping an eye on those whom he feared, picking them as his role models. “The conclusion that like I really got to is that the people I look up to are my competitors, and like I look up to the people that I’m worried about, you know, the people that I’m worried can beat me,” Nedoroscik said.

And now, Stephen Nedoroscik is playing that role for future generations. Remember how he was among the first ones to take a stand when Ohio State University recently announced that they’d be cutting athletic scholarships from Men’s Gymnastics? Stephen had mentioned how it’s pretty insane that no one is respecting this beautiful sport to the extent they should. But can he alone with his Team USA stars make a change? Well, it can definitely be the start of something.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.