Who is 'USA Pommel Horse Guy': Meet the Rubik's Cube-solving Clark Kent lookalike inspiring memes at 2024 Olympics

Sarah Effress

•
Who is 'USA Pommel Horse Guy': Meet the Rubik's Cube-solving Clark Kent lookalike inspiring memes at 2024 Olympics image

The U.S. men's gymnastics team stole the hearts of American viewers when they took home the bronze in the team final, securing a medal for the first time since 2008.

One of the biggest stars of the show for Team USA was "pommel horse guy," the gymnast who nailed the last event to guarantee his team a medal. He has become an overnight sensation and is still competing in one more event during the 2024 Paris Games. 

Everyone is obsessed with the nerdy-looking Olympian who turns into a beast when he takes on his signature event. But who is he, and is there more to him than just what we've seen in Paris?

Here's everything you need to know about "pommel horse guy," the Rubik's Cube-solving Clark Kent lookalike inspiring memes at the 2024 Olympics.

2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
Full Olympics schedule | How to watch in USA | Meet NBC's broadcasters

Who is USA pommel horse guy?

Stephen Nedoroscik, better known to the Olympic viewing public as "pommel horse guy," is a member of Team USA's men's gymnastics team. He is a pommel horse specialist, hence the nickname, and sealed the team event bronze medal for the Americans with his stellar routine. 

The 25-year-old also qualified for the pommel horse final on Aug. 3, with a chance to earn his second medal of the Games. He finished tied for first on the event with Ireland's Rhys McClenaghan in qualifying, sending him into the final with high expectations. 

MORE: How USA 'Pommel Horse Guy' competes without glasses for eye conditions

Stephen Nedoroscik Superman comparisons

Nedoroscik only competed on one event, his signature pommel horse, during the team final. Team USA was scheduled to perform last on the event, with the specialist rounding out the final rotation. 

That left him on the sidelines, where the camera seemed to find him often to check in on his wait time. Nedoroscik wears glasses when he's not competing, and fans quickly equated his look to that of Clark Kent, who transforms into Superman, much like Nedoroscik transforms into a gravity-defying gymnast when he takes off his lenses.

He went viral after the competition, and NBC asked Nedoroscik how he felt about his sudden rise to fame.

"I think it's cool," he said. "I'm honored that they chose me, but I think any one of these guys could also be blowing up. In fact, I hope they do discover these guys because they're all just great men." 

Stephen Nedoroscik Rubik's Cube

Nedoroscik is a renaissance man, with an affinity for solving Rubik's Cubes in insanely short amounts of time. His ability to do so has been well-documented at the Paris Olympics, both by himself and others.

MORE: Olympic medalist Stephen Nedoroscik credits Penn State for success

In fact, he has been doing his magical Rubik's Cube tricks since he was a collegiate gymnast at Penn State, where he graduated from in 2020. Unsurprisingly, he was an electrical engineering major while in State College—doing so while he won two national titles on pommel horse (2017 and 2018) as well as four All-American awards.

Sarah Effress

Sarah Effress Photo

Sarah Effress is an editorial intern for The Sporting News. She is a recent graduate of Northwestern University, and loves to talk soccer and women's college sports.