"Every turn that I take, I'm recording it, I'm analyzing it" - Stephen Nedoroscik draws similarities between gymnastics and puzzles

By Abhishek Rathore

Modified Nov 17, 2024 15:56 GMT

In a recent conversation, America's double Olympic medal-winning artist gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik compared gymnastics to solving puzzles. After his successful campaign at the Paris Olympics, Nedoroscik joined the cast of season 33 of Dancing With the Stars.

Besides his professional endeavors, the 26-year-old recently appeared on the Second Cup show hosted by former American gymnast Shawn Johnson and her partner Andrew East on their Shawn & Andrew Podcasts YouTube channel. During the conversation the gymnast reflected on his life and gymnastics, drawing parallels between the sport and solving puzzles.

"I love a puzzle, and I think gymnastics itself is a puzzle. Like every turn that I take in gymnastics, I'm recording it, I'm analyzing it, and then I'm making changes, and that's kind of just like how I go through life like I find a puzzle that I want to solve, and I solve it," he said. [8:00 onwards]

"So of course, as the electrical engineer I am, I love puzzle solving. The Rubik's cube guy that started when I was 12 years old, every aspect of my life is kind of like a puzzle that I'm trying to solve," he added.

In August, Stephen Nedoroscik made waves at the Paris Olympics, where he played a crucial role in American men's gymnastics campaign. He first helped Team United States win a bronze medal in the all-around event.

This marked the first time the American team had earned a medal in the apparatus. Following that, he won a bronze medal in his specialty, the pommel horse, and became the first individual Olympic medalist for the United States men's gymnastics in eight years.

Stephen Nedoroscik reflects on how he developed a passion for pommel horse

Stephen Nedoroscik at the Olympic Games-Paris 2024 (Source: Getty)

Following his Paris Olympics campaign, Stephen Nedoroscik was invited on 'The Tonight Show' Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he expressed his emotions upon becoming the Olympic medalist. He said:

"I mean, it feels amazing going into that competition," he said. "I had big dreams, big hopes, and to come out and look back and say, 'Oh my gosh,' I actually did that. It is an unbelievable feeling." [0:18 onwards]

While discussing how he developed a passion for the pommel horse, the gymnast added:

"So, back when I was a junior in high school, I started just getting really good at pommel horse, and one of these club coaches came up to me and said, 'I think you could be national champion one day,' and that kind of just spoke to me, and I really started to grind, and sure enough that year I won my first junior national title on pommel horse." [0:58 onwards]"

After the Games, Stephen Nedoroscik was the first contestant announced for Dancing With the Stars, where he was partnered with popular ballroom dancer Rylee Arnold.