Stephen Nedoroscik won the U.S. Championship qualifier on Saturday, tallying a 14.300 on pommel horse.
What happened?
Nedoroscik's score edged out the second-place finisher by a sizable five-tenths.
He earned a 9.200 execution score from the judging panel.
Why it matters for Stephen Nedoroscik
The result comes just under a month after Nedoroscik incurred labrum damage in his right shoulder.
He was able to avoid surgery and resumed training full routines one week prior to Saturday's competition.
Nedoroscik's score would have placed sixth at the 2025 World Championships, even at lower difficulty.
What comes next?
With the score, Nedoroscik punched his ticket to the 2026 U.S. Championships in Phoenix, Arizona.
He will vie for a national team spot and his third World Championship team this August in Arizona.
The 27-year-old helped Team USA to its first Olympic team medal in men's gymnastics since 2008.
Nedoroscik added the nation's first individual medal since 2016, winning bronze in the team final.
He became an overnight celebrity, dubbed the 'Pommel Horse Guy' by international fans.
Nedoroscik secured appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and the “Today Show”.
He finished as a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars”, becoming the first male gymnast to appear on the show.
In 2025, Nedoroscik struggled at the U.S. Championships, finishing fifth on his one and only event.
He failed to make the 2025 World Championship team and missed the opportunity to secure a second World title.
Nedoroscik remained unfazed and focused on the ultimate goal: LA 2028.
He told USA Gymnastics, “I’m going to continue going, L.A. would be amazing, so I want to shoot for that.”
Nedoroscik focuses on a date with the Grand Canyon State.
The former World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist returned to the elite gymnastics stage last August.
Nedoroscik looked to begin another four-year journey toward a second Olympic Games.
He said, “I’ve always told myself, ‘I want to be done with the sport when my body is done with the sport,’ and I’m still getting better.”
Nedoroscik feels like he'd be doing himself a dishonor to not see how far he could go.