After the Superman performance at the Paris Olympics, Stephen Nedoroscik made his gymnastics comeback at the Xfinity US Championships in August this year. Safe to say, it was a disappointing return. On Day 1, he earned a score of 14.200 (D = 5.1, E = 9.100). On Day 2, he attempted a more difficult element but fell, finishing with 13.200. His combined total of 27.400 placed him fifth overall. The result was a big hit to his fans because his fall and missing the 6.2 D-score threshold meant that he missed the qualifying standards for the 2025 World Championships team.

In a TikTok uploaded on September 26, 2025, the Olympian confessed to getting hip surgery in two weeks. Explaining what’s wrong, he said, “So it turns out I have a cam deformity, which means that my ball and socket joint isn’t exactly a ball and socket. It’s more like an oval and socket. So I’ve kind of been straining my hip for the past 13 years of my life, and as of recently, it’s really starting to hurt. Now I have a double labrum tear and a bunch of damage to my cartilage, basically.” The details send a chill down the spine; on top of that, he will be out of gymnastics for the next six to nine months.

He added, “Um, guys, I’m pretty disappointed that after my comeback, I’m gonna have to get surgery and do this comeback all over again, but I’m really excited that this will be the last year. I’m in pain with this hip.” Last year, after the Paris Olympics, Nedoroscik went on to perform in Dancing with the Stars, becoming the first male gymnast to compete on that show. Outcome?

Partnering up with Rylee Arnold, he made it to the finals, performing a freestyle routine to Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, and ultimately finished in 4th place. He also co-hosted the Dancing with the Stars nationwide tour, which kept him off the pommel horse until the spring. In April, he resumed training at EVO Gymnastics in Sarasota, Florida. After that, he made his gymnastics comeback at the 2025 Xfinity US Championships, facing disappointment.

Now with the surgery, he would have to stay away from the sport once again and do the whole comeback process again – Go back to training again, get back to the mental space again, and get the body back in that shape and flexibility again. Everything that he did after DWTS, he would have to do it all again. Nevertheless, he had his eyes set on 2028.

Stephen Nedoroscik has his sights set on the LA Olympics

Before making his return at the Xfinity US Championships, the Olympian talked of the fairytale ending of his 2024 season and the late start of the 2025 one. “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,” he said, adding that if he gives up now and fails to see how far he could go, it would be a dishonor to himself and the sport. He failed to perform up to the mark in the Championships but the fans cheered for the pommel horse guy.

After day 1, he said, “Being able to hear people cheer and root me on … this is what you do this for,” Nedoroscik said after the first day of competition. “Seeing these (kids) look up to me, doing a horse routine for them, and hearing them cheer.” He was truly amazed by the support from the community, saying it was incredible to see everyone backing not just him, but the other guys as well, and he happily took pictures and signed autographs with fans. It was after failing to make the World Team that he talked about LA 2028.

“I’m going to continue going. L.A. [2028 Olympics] would be amazing, so I want to shoot for that,” he said. Stephen Nedoroscik was the water to the 16-year Olympic medal drought the US men’s gymnastics suffered in the Paris Olympics. Before claiming the bronze with a score of 15.300 in the pommel horse final, he earned the title of superman in the team final.

In the team final, Nedoroscik performed a crucial pommel horse routine, scoring 14.866, the highest among U.S. men. Before starting, he dramatically removed his glasses like Clark Kent, earning the nickname “Superman.” His effort helped the U.S. secure the bronze with a total of 257.793, narrowly edging out Great Britain. Can he better his heroics in LA?