The U.S. men's gymnastics team won their first medal in 16 years at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and one particular member has folks thinking he's a superhero.
On July 29, folks worldwide watched Brody Malone, Frederick Richard, Stephen Nedoroscik, Paul Juda and Asher Hong achieve Olympic glory with a bronze medal in the men's team gymnastics event. Each member of the team delivered stellar performances throughout, but it was Stephen's turn on the pommel horse that had people stunned by what Team USA could do.
As he took off his glasses ahead of his routine, his incredible skills on the apparatus had people comparing him to the fictional Clark Kent before he transforms into Superman. When asked about the likeness in an interview with the Today show, he responded with his honest thoughts about the nickname.
"I mean, that's an awesome comparison. I will definitely take that," he told the outlet in an Instagram clip on July 30. "In a way, it's kind of like that. You know, I'm a goofy guy with the glasses on. But as soon as I take them off, I'm locked in. I'm ready to go."
Upon seeing Stephen's reaction to being compared to an iconic superhero, viewers immediately voiced their own feelings about the 25-year-old athlete.
"He said if I am nerdy then will you still call me Superman 👏🔥," one person wrote in the comments. "You are a national treasure 😍," another added. "Clark Kent of the pommel horse!" a different follower declared.
As previously mentioned, this is the first time in 16 years that Team USA made the podium in men's team gymnastics at the Olympics. The last time this occurred was at the 2008 Beijing summer games, where teammates Alexander Artemev, Raj Bhavase, Joseph Hagert, Jonathan Horton, Justin Spring and Kevin Tan won a bronze medal for their skills in the arena.
Congrats, Stephen!
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
