UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Former Penn State legend Stephen Nedoroscik is off to a great start at the 2021 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan. He is one of four U.S. men that has a chance to win a World title after advancing to the final with his performance on pommel horse on Tuesday.
The top eight gymnasts on each apparatus - with a maximum of two athletes per country -earned spots in the men's individual event finals, which will take place Saturday and Sunday.
Nedoroscik is one of two U.S. men to qualify for the final on pommel horse, joining recent Olympian Alec Yoder. Nedoroscik qualified second with a score of 15.366, while Yoder was third at 15.300. China's Hao Weng qualified first with a score of 15.600. The pommel horse field consisted of 109 gymnasts.
"He did a great job today and that was after a tough couple of weeks that included an illness. We actually arrived here in Japan late because of that," Penn State head coach Randy Jepson said. "With Stephen Nedoroscik and Alex Yoder qualifying second and third, it was a great showing by the U.S. men."
The pommel horse finals will begin on Saturday at 3:10 a.m. (ET). The Olympic Channel will air the men's and women's all-around and event finals live, with same-day delayed coverage of the all-around competitions on NBCSN. Additional World Championships coverage set to air October 24 on NBC and stream on Peacock at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Nedoroscik, who still trains at Penn State's Gene Wettstone Gymnastics Complex, qualified for the World Championships after winning the 2021 U.S. pommel horse title in June. He is competing at the World Championships for the first time.
