Olympics viewers blown away by Team USA athlete who 'rawdogged' event and won Bronze

People watching the Olympics have been left astounded by a Team USA gymnast who 'rawdogged' his way through a gymnastics event.

Yep, it's the unlikely crossover that nobody was expecting.

We're only a few days into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and a *lot* has happened so far, from the 'blue scrotum' performing at the opening ceremony to the commentator who was sacked for a sexist comment.

But viewers are especially excited about one athlete in particular, with many even referring to him as the 'Clark Kent of the Olympics' - as well as an 'American icon'.

Meet Stephen Nedoroscik, a member of the Team USA gymnastics team who specialises in a single event - the pommel horse.

Nedoroscik, 25, absolutely smashed the event on Monday (29 July) and even helped the men's team secure their first artistic gymnastics Olympic medal in 16 years.

So naturally, Nedoroscik is a hero.

But the fact he 'rawdogged' the event makes it even more special.

We know, we know, how can you rawdog the Olympics?

Well, ICYMI, rawdogging refers to a new travel trend which sees people taking long-haul flights armed with absolutely nothing to occupy them.

Most of us like to get stuck into a book, several movies - or at least music - while flying.

After all, stop for too long without a distraction and we might just start overthinking the fact that we're hovering mid-air.

But if you're going to raw dog a flight, you're not allowed any of this, not even water.

It's pretty hardcore. In fact, one woman suffered some worrying side effects after rawdogging a flight back from Mykonos.

After watching Nedoroscik's incredible performance, viewers are saying the athlete actually rawdogged his Olympic event, due to the fact he wasn't wearing his glasses.

While it might not seem like a big deal to ditch your glasses for a sporting event, Nedoroscik suffers from from strabismus, which is the abnormal alignment of the eyes - also known as cross-eyed.

He also lives with a condition called coloboma, which refers to a hole in one of the structures of the eye.

Nedoroscik has in the past spoken about being photophobic, or light sensitive, as a result.

Speaking to TODAY, the athlete said he is ‘representing people that wear glasses well’, revealing that he removes his specs so that they don't fly off.

Explaining what he sees when he competes without his glasses, Nedoroscik said: “It’s not necessarily clear, but the thing about pommel horse is if I keep them on, they’re gonna fly somewhere.

“When I go up on the pommel horse, it’s all about feeling the equipment. I don’t even really see when I’m doing my gymnastics. It’s all in the hands - I can feel everything.”

After watching Nedoroscik compete on Monday, people were blown away.

One person wrote on X: "As a glasses wearer its so deeply chaotic to me to see him take his glasses off to compete and then immediately put them back on.

"Can he... see without them? Is he just raw dogging the olympic pommel horse without being able to see?!?"

While another said: "Stephen Nedoroscik has my whole heart."

And a third added: "Obsessed with this guy on the US men's gymnastics team who's only job is pommel horse, so he just sits there until he's activated like a sleeper agent, whips off his glasses like Clark Kent and does a pommel horse routine that helps deliver the team its first medal in 16 years."

What an incredible achievement.

Team GB's current medal count - 14

Gold medallists

• Rosalind Canter, Laura Collett, Tom McEwen: Equestrian - Eventing team
• Tom Pidcock: Mountain Bike - Men's cross country
• Nathan Hales: Shooting - Men's trap
• Tom Dean, Kieran Bird, James Guy, Jack McMillan, Matthew Richards, Duncan Scott: Swimming - Men's 4x200m freestyle

Silver medallists

• Anna Henderson: Cycling - Women's individual time trial
• Adam Peaty: Swimming - Men's 100m breaststroke
• Tom Daley and Noah Williams: Diving - Men's synchronised 10m platform
• Adam Burgess: Canoe Slalom - Men's canoe single
• Matthew Richards: Swimming - Men's 200m freestyle

Bronze medallists

• Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen: Diving - Women's synchronised 3m springboard
• Kimberley Woods: Canoe - Women's slalom
• Laura Collett: Equestrian - Eventing individual
• Beth Potter: Women's triathlon
• Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson: Diving - Women's synchronised 10m platform