Olympic pommel horse hero Stephen Nedoroscik has revealed the meaning of his ear tug signal.
Nedoroscik, 25, appeared in a social media video for NBC’s “TODAY” show and said the gesture was in homage to his “dziadziu,” pronounced DJAH-djoo and meaning grandfather in Polish.
The gymnast was named after his grandfather, Stephen John Nedoroscik, who died last year at 94 years old.
“I’ve kept the tradition up and now it always means, ‘Hey,’ to everyone that I love,” the gymnast said.
He further explained the bond with his grandfather in an interview with a “TODAY” producer.
“He’s a World War II vet and my idol,” Nedoroscik said. “When I was at Penn State, that was the thing that I did whenever I was on TV to say, ‘Hey Dziadziu.’”
Nedoroscik was a unique addition to the team because he specializes in the pommel horse, whereas it is rare for participants not to compete in multiple events.
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His inclusion paid off as he helped Team USA cement the bronze medal Monday, the men’s gymnastic team’s first Olympics medal since 2008.
Nedoroscik became a viral meme this week as he appeared to be deep in meditation while he was preparing for competition.
“I’m doing my breathing exercises,” the gymnast explained to “TODAY” hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday. “We always try to keep our heart rate down and through that five minutes I’m sitting there, I’m just visualizing my routine over and over … that’s all I’m doing in my head.”
