Paris Olympics bronze medalist Stephen Nedoroscik won hearts with his Dancing With the Stars debut. Mr. Pommel Horse fulfilled the hopes and dreams of gymnastics fans when he helped Team USA break a 16-year medal drought in Paris. The 25-year-old would close his eyes and calm himself down when it was his turn to take on the apparatus. Well, it seems like the gymnast may have used a similar technique to ace his DWTS dance routine!

“Me and Rylee both put our heads back close our eyes and did breathing exercises leading up to our performance,” Nedoroscik said while speaking to E! News. Nedoroscik looked like a natural as he grooved to Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, and it seems it was the mental preparation that made all the difference.

The Paris 20204 double-bronze medalist elaborated on how the ritual has helped him several times. Stephen Nedoroscik is no stranger to high-stakes competition. In fact, there’s nothing more high stakes for a gymnast than competing to earn an Olympic medal, and even elite athletes feel nervous. “What you can do is control the controllable and one of those is your heart rate,” said the 25-year-old.

“So breathing helps slow it down… While you’re doing it, you can also think positive thoughts, like you got this, you’ve trained for this thing,” Nedoroscik told E! News. This is how Team USA’s Clark Kent focused before jumping on the pommel horse, and it was no different for DWTS. The approach did wonders for the Nedoroscik-Arnold duo on the dance floor.

Rylee Arnold is a seasoned choreographer but was amazed by how quickly her DWTS partner picked up dancing. “I am so proud of him and this is like out of his element,” she said during the interview. However, Nedoroscik had no issues translating his acrobatic gymnastics skills into difficult dance moves on the DWTS floor. The results spoke for themselves.

Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold scored 21 points and landed in third place in Episode 1 of Season 33. While facing may be a new experience for the former world champion, finishing in the top three is a familiar feeling. However, it’s only the beginning and the couple will need to hold on to their pre-performance ritual in the coming episodes. Besides, Nedoroscik is also at ease knowing he has the support of his gymnastics teammates.

Stephen Nedoroscik’s Paris Olympics teammates are with him in spirit

While Mr. Pommel Horse is tearing up the DWTS stage, his teammates are on a nationwide tour to celebrate gymnastics. With Simone Biles at the helm, the women’s and men’s gymnastics teams embarked on the Gold Over America Tour on September 16. While the 25-year-old initially joined the grand tour, he chose to participate in Dancing With the Stars instead.

But, that doesn’t mean Stephen Nedoroscik’s teammate didn’t support his decision. On the contrary, they showed up to cheer their teammate in the rehearsal studio on Saturday, September 7. Fellow bronze medalists, Fred Richard, Brody Malone, and Asher Hong, showed up to encourage ‘Team Arnold Pommel’. Ian Gunther, Curran Phillips, and Yul Moldauer also joined in on the banter.

The men of Team USA gymnastics wanted Nedoroscik to know that they would cheer him on despite being on tour. “You’re going on Dancing with the Stars, don’t embarrass yourselves,” the group joked in one of their Instagram stories. However, we’ll have to wait and see if Rylee Arnold and Stephen Nedoroscik can ride the momentum of their blistering start.