Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, fresh off multiple medals and internet fame as the “Pommel Horse Guy” at the Paris Olympics, is now seeking a new prize: the Mirrorball Trophy.
Nedoroscik will be among the celebrities strutting their stuff on “Dancing With the Stars” when the long-running dance competition series returns in the fall. Nedoroscik said she wants to “have fun” with her upcoming primetime starring role.
“I want to bring some of that gymnastics” to the dance competition, she told “Good Morning America” on Thursday. “Maybe a backflip or a handstand.”
The 25-year-old two-time bronze medalist will be the first male gymnast to compete on the show. Almost since its debut, “DWTS” has featured female Olympic gymnasts, including Nastia Liukin, Mary Lou Retton and Laurie Hernandez. All-time great Simone Biles and her teammate Suni Lee, who won multiple medals at the 2024 Olympics, are also “DWTS” alumni.
At the Paris Olympics, Nedoroscik's internet fame was twofold. In the first week of the Games, the pommel horse specialist went viral for how busy he kept himself — cheering on his teammates, carrying bags and apparently napping — while waiting for his turn in the men's team final.
Nedoroscik then performed a near-perfect pommel horse routine that helped Team USA secure bronze, the United States' first men's Olympic medal since 2008. Online, the bespectacled athlete quickly drew comparisons to Clark Kent and Steve Rogers before and after he was injected with the super serum that turned him into Captain America.
Nedoroscik earned her second bronze medal in the individual pommel horse final on Aug. 3. That sparked more memes about her pre-performance rituals.
Nedoroscik put her pommel horse skills to work in Thursday’s announcement, balancing on her hands on a mat while swinging her legs around her body — in dress pants, no less. She told the “GMA” hosts that she won’t just be bringing gymnastics to “DWTS.” The “sleeping” pose that went viral is also likely to return, she said.
“As the competition time approaches, my heart rate goes up… so I try to stay calm,” she explained. “I focus on breathing and visualization exercises, and then it’s time to go.”
She added: “It’s something I do to calm myself down, so I’ll probably take it to the dance floor.”
“Dancing With the Stars” will announce its full cast on Sept. 4, and season 33 will premiere Sept. 17 on ABC.
Times staff writer Thuc Nhi Nguyen contributed to this report.
