Stephen Nedoroscik shares new milestone in chess amid break from gymnastics

Stephen Nedoroscik enjoyed some chess action and expressed excitement about tying for first at the PogChamps. Nedoroscik has been away from the gymnastics mat since he performed at the Gold Over America tour in 2024.

Nedoroscik was a force to be reckoned with at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning the individual bronze in the pommel horse and contributing points to his team's third-place finish for the first time in 16 years. At the Games, the American received love for his prowess on the mat and Rubik's cube-solving skills, even creating a viral moment by taking power naps before his events.

Nedoroscik also won hearts with his dancing skills on Dancing With the Stars, where he was paired with professional Rylee Arnold. The pair finished in fourth in the finale and soon took the stage on the Dancing With the Stars tour, where the Olympian was host.

In a recent Instagram story, he shared his recent achievement in chess, tying for first in his respective group in PogChamps 6. His caption read:

"Tied for first!!! more chess soon!!

Nedoroscik celebrates his chess achievement; Instagram - @stephen_nedoroscik

On Wednesday, April 29, Nedoroscik celebrated International Dance Day with his favorite DWTS moment. He shared the video of his finale freestyle performance, where he embraced Team USA colors and maneuvered on the beam. His caption read:

"Had to post my favorite dance for international dance day 🕺🏻🪩💃🏼!!! Now that I’m a retired dancer watching this dance hits different"

Nedoroscik was a student-athlete at Pennsylvania State University from 2017 to 2020.

Stephen Nedoroscik once talked about his struggles with eye conditions as he dreamt of becoming a professional gymnast

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

Stephen Nedoroscik has been on top of his gymnastic game, writing history on the global stage. However, his road to glory was uneven since he was diagnosed with a rare eye condition at a very tender age. He told Sherri Shepherd about how it still affects his training:

"Yes, my condition, first of all, I have strabismus, which is when your eyes turn inward. I also have coloboma. Both of those do affect my training a lot. With Strabismus, I don't have any depth perception and with Colobama, I'm very sensitive to light. So in a lot of arenas and stuff it will be in my face and it's very uncomfortable at times but it's one of those things that I have gone through in this life and learn sort of how to direct myself through all these adversities."

Stephen Nedoroscik bagged the pommel horse gold at the World Championships in 2021. His achievement was the first for an American man.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder