PARIS — When he returned the most famous glasses in sports to the bridge of his nose earlier this week, Stephen Nedoroscik could not believe what he saw: himself, everywhere. His pommel horse routine to seal the men’s Olympic gymnastics team final on Monday and earn the U.S. its first medal in that event since 2008 had captivated the nation—as had … well, everything about him.
As a pommel horse specialist who does no other apparatus, he had spent the entire final waiting around, and cameras caught him visualizing in a way that strongly suggested he had fallen asleep. NBC added a timer to indicate when it would be his turn to close out the meet. Then he ripped off his glasses and ripped through his 40-second routine. (“It’s all feeling,” he explained afterward. “I see with my hands.”) His teammates flung him in the air. He revealed that he likes to solve Rubik’s cubes for fun. (Before a competition, if he solves it in under 10 seconds, it’s a good omen for his gymnastics.) He quickly became America’s favorite nerd.
