"I had so many chances to give up"- Stephen Nedoroscik weighs in on overcoming struggles and creating history at the World Championships

Stephen Nedoroscik reflected on his struggles as he celebrated the third anniversary of becoming the USA's first pommel horse World Champion. The American gymnast recalled having moments where he felt like giving up and facing health issues before the competition, but despite all the challenges, he put forward an incredible performance to etch his name in the history books.

After tasting international success in early 2020. Nedoroscik competed in the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials and finished third after a fall on the first day of the competition and missed out on a spot in the Olympic Team for Paris. However, he did not let the setback deter him and carried on with his season, competing in the Worlds team selection trials. Stephen Nedoroscik was named a part of the six-member team to represent the USA at the 2021 World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan.

Nedoroscik competed in the pommel horse and won the gold medal in the event, defeating highly esteemed gymnasts like Weng Hao and Kaya Kazuma. He created history by becoming the first American gymnast to win a world title in the Pommel Horse. He took to Instagram to reflect on his triumphant campaign at the 2021 World Championships.

The 25-year-old recalled how he was sick before the competition, which led him to miss 8 days of training and have to compete with a rare case of wrist stress fractures.

"Throwback to 3 years ago when I became USA’s first ever Pommel Horse World Champion 🌎🥇I was the sickest I had ever been leading up to this competition which made me miss 8 days of training and forced me to arrive 4 days late, as well as having the rarest wrist stress fracture during my performances (8th documented case🤯)," he wrote.

"I had so many chances to give up, but instead I pushed forward and made history for my country 🇺🇸," he added.

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Stephen Nedoroscik on competing on the pommel horse

U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials Mens Day 2 - Source: Getty

Stephen Nedoroscik spoke about the factors that drew him to Pommel Horse in an interview with Forbes. The American gymnast drew similarities to puzzles and said:

The thing about pommel horse is, it’s not just the basics—it’s also the approach. I’m a very mathematical, scientific-minded person. I love to solve problems, and I’ll be recording every single turn I do, and questioning, Where did it go wrong? What did I do right? It’s almost like every turn is a puzzle that I’m trying to solve, and I just love that aspect of it.

After winning two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, Nedoroscik is currently a part of the reality show Dancing With The Stars and is yet to share an update on his plans for the upcoming season.