It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s just Stephen Nedoroscik on the pommel horse! Team USA’s male gymnasts have often faced difficulties on the apparatus. But the 25-year-old had one job to do at the finals on July 29, and he delivered! Even though he is often spotted wearing glasses, many know that he first used to perform his routines with goggles on. While the goggles gained popularity over the years, Nedoroscik then switched to a different set of eyewear.

But why doesn’t he wear them during his routines? The gymnast eventually realized that it hindered his performance, so he now prefers to perform without it. However, eagle-eyed fans have noticed him squinting at the scoreboard as soon as he dismounts. This brought on genuine concern about whether he could see without them. The wunderkind has an eye condition called strabismus and coloboma. If that’s the case, how does this affect his performance?

Learn about the eye disease that Stephen Nedoroscik has

Stephen Nedoroscik’s rise to fame began when netizens first discovered him performing with goggles on the apparatus. The eyewear in question was a Secret Santa gift from a friend. He first wore them as a joke to a meet. But after flawlessly performing his routine, he considered them to be lucky and continued sporting them for a while. However, the 25-year-old first opened up about his eye condition back in 2022. In a TikTok video in August, he let his fans know about the strabismus and asked them to tag eye doctors in the comments.

Even though it is often discovered in childhood, it isn’t uncommon for adults to experience it too. With his condition, he is technically cross-eyed due to his muscles having issues controlling the movement. While this often leads to dual vision, the athlete can alternate between the two to decipher which one is dominant. Due to the coloboma, a part of his eye tissue is also missing. Anyone who experiences refractive errors usually opts for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

However, it doesn’t seem like this could be his kryptonite. The gymnast ditched his goggles for the eyewear he now sports because he wanted to try something different on the world’s biggest stage. “Sometimes, I like to push the boundaries,” and it looks like it truly paid off for the 25-year-old. While he can’t see without them, it doesn’t affect his performance. “I don’t think I actually use my eyes on pommel horse. It’s all feeling. I see with my hands,” Nedoroscik clarified.

Nedoroscik’s glasses earned him the nickname ‘USA’s Clark Kent‘

The Pommel Horse specialist is the only gymnast in the Final Five who doesn’t contest in all the events. However, during the men’s finals on July 30, many fans were enchanted by Nedoroscik while he waited for his turn on the mat. They witnessed the quiet Massachusetts native take off his glasses, hop onto the apparatus, land with a solid thud, and celebrate with his teammates while holding his glasses in the air. Albeit a fun moment, the switch in his demeanor led to them comparing him to Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent.

NBC Olympics jumped in on the trend by sharing a photo of Christopher Reeve and Nedoroscik on X, captioned “Stephen Nedoroscik, the Clark Kent of pommel horse! 🫡🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics” This led to many fans sharing their own take on the gymnast. A fan exclaimed, “Obsessed with this guy on the US men’s gymnastics team who’s only job is pommel horse, so he just sits there until he’s activated like a sleeper agent, whips off his glasses like Clark Kent and does a pommel horse routine that helps deliver the team its first medal in 16 years.” It’s oddly specific but so accurate!

After a successful stint at the Bay Arena, the Today Show asked Nedoroscik what he thought about the memes. Not only has the gymnast seen them, but he thinks they’re hilarious and has wholeheartedly embraced them. “I think they’re awesome. You know, representing the people that wear glasses well.” His stellar pommel horse routine played a part in leading the Team USA men’s gymnastics team to a historic win—their first bronze medal since 2008. It looks like Stephen Nedorscik did save the day after all!