Approximately 167 million adults in the United States depend on prescription glasses. Yet, only one stands out as a pommel horse champion.
Stephen Nedoroscik, a 25-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, has strabismus, commonly referred to as crossed eyes, which can cause double vision. He clinched gold on the pommel horse at the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and impressively recorded a score of 14.866 in Paris on Monday, leading to a bronze medal—the first men’s gymnastics team medal for the US since 2008.
Despite this, Nedoroscik wore his glasses to celebrate on the podium and during moments of rest, embodying both the typical and the extraordinary. This duality sparked a wave of memes and comparisons to Clark Kent and Superman, which he described as “awesome”.
He stated on the Today programme that he is “representing those who wear glasses proudly,” making a statement for a group often ridiculed as being more inclined to libraries than gyms, and highlighting that a physical imperfection doesn’t prevent someone from achieving outstanding athletic feats.
He further mentioned that his vision isn’t “necessarily clear,” but regarding the pommel horse, he noted, “if I keep [my glasses] on, they’re going to fly off somewhere. When I’m on the pommel horse, it’s all about feeling the equipment. In fact, I don’t really see while doing gymnastics; it’s all about touch—I can feel everything.”
Nedoroscik was a standout athlete at Penn State, securing two NCAA pommel horse titles and graduating with a degree in electrical engineering.
As a specialist in the pommel horse, he was tasked with delivering in his area of expertise, akin to the pressure an NFL kicker faces during the Super Bowl. He also had the added challenge of going last, awaiting nearly three hours before his turn, which, according to Brett McClure, the US high-performance director, meant he experienced the “most pressure of any athlete tonight on the competition floor,” as reported by the Washington Post.
“I was determined to secure a spot on the Olympic team, but I was aware of the potential backlash. I compete in a single event while these athletes are extraordinary all-arounders. Yet, I am exceptional at the pommel horse. It’s a struggle to fit into a team of five,” he shared with the Post.
Nonetheless, he executed his 40-second routine with finesse, reclaimed his glasses, and raised them triumphantly as his teammates celebrated, marking him as the latest visually impaired sports icon.
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The American world champion artistic gymnast Morgan Hurd has also competed successfully in glasses, employing a strap to secure them after discovering that contact lenses dried out her eyes. Rebeca Andrade, the 2020 Olympic and multiple world champion gymnast from Brazil, deals with myopia and astigmatism. She struggles to see the vault as she rushes towards it and is unable to read the large screens displaying her scores, yet she opts to compete without contacts, believing blurry vision enhances her instincts.
Famous athletes like Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Eric Dickerson, Edgar Davids, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have performed at the highest levels in glasses or goggles, though they remain exceptions despite the large number of individuals with imperfect vision. Contact lenses present clear advantages, and numerous professional teams have utilized vision science to enhance performance, whether for correcting individual issues or modifying the sporting environment, such as altering kit colors. Nike has collaborated with vision expert Dr. Alan Reichow, who has created tinted glare-reduction contact lenses, a green golf putter, and a ball designed to be more visible to Premier League players during dim winter lighting.
Focus will shift back to Nedoroscik on Saturday as he strives for individual gold. However, his bronze medal isn’t his only remarkable accomplishment in France. Prior to the finals, the Killer Sudoku enthusiast, who claimed to have spent 45 hours solving a single puzzle, shared a photo on social media of a completed Rubik’s cube that he finished in 9.3 seconds—roughly half a second shy of his personal best.
