How Stephen Nedoroscik used ‘speed cubing’ in his quest for the pommel horse bronze

The Olympics offer athletes a global stage to showcase their talents, and the 2024 Paris Summer Games are no exception.

One person who's made the most of his opportunity has been American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik. 

Nedoroscik's efforts in pommel horsing helped the U.S. men's gymnastics team break a 16-year medal drought. Regardless, he's gotten as much attention for being the breakout meme star of the Olympics. As we learn more about the 25-year-old from Worcester, Mass., it's evident why.

During a recent podcast episode of "In The Village," Nedoroscik shared an odd yet intriguing part of his gymnastics preparation: Solving Rubik's Cubes -- quickly.

Everyone has their routine. While some rituals are stranger than others, Nedoroscik believes there's a method to his madness, based on his conversation with host Elizabeth Beisel.

Stephen Nedoroscik reveals how 'speed cubing' helps him prepare for Olympic competitions

"I do like to make the argument that one thing that happens when you solve your next cube is it helps you stay in the moment," said Nedoroscik. "I know how to talk when I do it, but all the way through, you have to make sure you’re watching every piece. Gymnastics is kind of the same thing. You have to stay in the moment doing every skill."

Ironically, his coaches tried confiscating his Rubik's Cube when he was younger. Aubrey Snyder of The Athletic noted ($) how the gymnast "goofed around" during non-pommel horse events, so they attempted to take matters into their own hands. 

"'He loved it,' said Bryan Perla, who trained alongside Nedoroscik at Sterling Gym and then competed at Stanford. The coaches were like well, this isn’t very fair. He can’t do gymnastics, but he enjoys what he’s doing! They had to take away the Rubik’s Cube."

Nonetheless, Nedoroscik sticking to his roots paid dividends for the red, white and blue. Team USA recruited him as their pommel horse expert, and he delivered. On Saturday, Nedoroscik won the bronze medal in the men's pommel horse final.

While Nedoroscik's affinity for Rubik's Cubes may feel unconventional, the results speak for themselves. He further validated this by earning his first individual Olympic medal in the men's pommel horse final on Saturday.