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Nedoroscik helped the United States win its first medal in the men’s team final earlier this week.
Worcester native Stephen “Pommel Horse Guy” Nedoroscik was excellent, but brilliance elsewhere in the pommel horse final kept the American from an individual gold medal in his specialty.
Instead, two-time world champion Rhys McClenaghan gave Ireland its first medal in Olympic gymnastics.
Even before his score was announced following a stellar routine, McClenaghan had to choke back tears. He then yelled in delight and cried for good when a mark of 15.533 points was announced.
Competing right after McClenaghan, Nedoroscik dazzled the crowd but could not match his Irish rival’s score. He got 15.300 points, which put him in third with three gymnasts left to go. Nedoroscik received a 6.400 score for difficulty and an 8.900 score for execution.
Nedoroscik helped the U.S. earn bronze in the men’s team final earlier this week, sealing the program’s first Olympic medal in 16 years with a lights-out routine. He scored a team-high 14.833 during the pommel horse on Tuesday, so his mark on Saturday was an improvement.
Nedoroscik’s routine also turned him into a viral sensation. Fans celebrated his demeanor prior to his pommel horse routine in the team final. He seemed to become even more adored, with fans finding out his ability to solve a Rubik’s Cube quickly and why he wears goggles.
“This is just another day of doing the gymnastics,” a chucking Nedoroscik told reporters after helping the United States earn bronze in the men’s team final earlier in the week. “Sure it’s the biggest stage in the world. It only happens once every four years, but at the same time I’m putting chalk on my hands and doing the horse for the team, it’s nothing different.”
Here are the full results from Saturday’s men’s pommel horse final:
Gold: Rhys McClenaghan, Ireland: 15.533
Silver: Nariman Kurbanov, Kazakhstan: 15.433
Bronze: Stephen Nedoroscik, US: 15.300
Max Whitlock, Great Britain: 15.200
Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine: 14.966
Takaaki Sugino, Japan: 14.933
Woong Hur, Korea: 14.300
Loran de Munck, Netherlands: 13.733
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