The men of Team USA gymnastics got off to a glorious start, winning bronze in the team event behind juggernauts Japan and China. However, Stephen Nedoroscik was the man who sealed the deal. His heroic 45s pommel horse routine got USA to the podium, and not just his team, but his family were also there to support the 25-year-old.

However, things looked as if they would fall apart ahead of the individual finals. Hopefuls such as Asher Hong, and Brody Malone didn’t even make it to the apparatus finals, while Fred Richard and Paul Juda bowed out in the finals. Yet again, it was down to Clark Kent of Pommel Horse to pull off a superhuman routine. The situation became even more worrying because his family barely made it inside the stadium.

His parents and girlfriend struggled to procure tickets for the August 3rd finals. However, despite the difficulties, and possibly paying extra, they made it. “It’s great to have your family there, and just seeing them kind of lose their voice cheering for me at the Olympic stage. It’s just awesome.” Stephen Nedoroscik told Access Hollywood.

Nedoroscik became the Superman of Team USA because every time the Clark Kent lookalike took off his glasses for a routine, he won a medal. What made him a special member of the men’s gymnastics team was that he was the only apparatus specialist on the team. Cheered on by his loved one and teammate, the former world champion lived up to the ‘specialist’ tag.

However, it wasn’t just the double bronze medalist’s family who cheered him on. Tess McCracken, the gymnast’s girlfriend of 8 years, acted as his official hype woman. “She gets hyped. She went to the NCAA. You know when you’re from an NCAA environment, you know how to get loud,” added Stephen Nedoroscik. However, there was one more element to the gymnast’s success.

How Stephen Nedoroscik earned Team USA’s only individual medal

Watching the only two-time Olympian, Brody Malone, lose his grip on the horizontal bar, didn’t inspire confidence. The errors from that cost Richard and Juda a spot at the podium only raised the stakes. So, just like Clark Kent, the 25-year-old opted to keep things simple. Instead of resorting to a brand-new routine, Nedoroscik did the same routine that earned 15.200 in qualifying.

The only difference was that the Pan-American champ upped the difficulty. Stephen Nedoroscik played it smart, earning his first individual medal at the Olympics. However, the gymnast has no plans to slow down after his success in Paris. The Olympian will have the home advantage for LA28 and hopes to upgrade his Olympic medals into something shinier. We’ll have to wait and see if Nedorosick succeeded in his quest. However, one thing is for sure, the gymnast will have McCracken and his family by his side.