2024 Olympics: Who is Pommel Horse Gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik? Meet the Viral Star!
Do you know the muffin man who lives in the Olympic Village?
Well, it’s Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen who can’t keep his love for chocolate muffins served at the 2024 Paris Olympics off social media.
The athlete—who competed in the men’s 800-meter freestyle and is set to compete in the men’s 1500-meter freestyle on Aug. 3—began reviewing food available at the village on TikTok July 25, where he gave the chocolate muffin an “11/10” and called it “insane.”
And it wasn’t long before the 27-year-old’s love story with the bakery item unfolded. A day later, he shared a video of the muffin featuring Bobby Caldwell’s song “What You Won’t Do for Love” and captioned the post, “The single greatest thing about the Olympic Village so far.”
Since then, Henrik’s penchant for chocolate muffins has made quite a splash online as he has since posted 10 videos declaring his love. In fact, he posted a July 28 video using a sound bite from Shrek, in which the Gingerbread Man asks, “Do you know the muffin man?” And the Olympian emphasized in his caption, “I HEREBY DECLARE MYSELF AS THE OLYMPIC MUFFIN MAN.”
readWhy Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik Doesn't Need His Glasses for Head-Spinning Pommel Horse Routine
And now, he’s captured the hearts of Olympics fans worldwide. One admitted, “i am simply rooting for Norway now because of the muffin man and i am not upset about it.” While another reflected, “This is the best story to come out of the Olympic Village.”
Would other chocolate breakfast items satiate Henrik’s sweet tooth? The swimmer, who made his Olympic debut in Rio at the 2016 Summer Games, posted a video in which he sniffed a chocolate croissant in disgust and wrote in the caption, “Muffin reigns supreme.”
MAXIM THORE/BILDBYRÅN/Shutterstock
But Henrik isn’t the only athlete to captivate fans. After all, Team USA men’s gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik was dubbed the Olympic Clark Kent after he was seen taking off his glasses before hopping on the pommel horse. His stellar performance clinched the U.S. men’s gymnastics team’s bronze medal, the team’s first trip to the podium since 2008.
As for why the 25-year-old ditches his glasses before his apparatus? He told Today July 30, “The thing about pommel horse is if I keep them on, they’re gonna fly somewhere.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Henrik Christiansen (@henrikchristians1)
But he doesn’t need them either. “When I go up on the pommel horse, it’s all about feeling the equipment,” Stephen continued. “I don’t even really see when I’m doing my gymnastics. It’s all in the hands—I can feel everything.”
Now, keep reading for more iconic moments from the 2024 Olympics.
(E! News and Today are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
photosView More Photos From Every Candid Moment from the 2024 Paris OlympicsWatch the 2024 Paris Olympics daily on NBC and Peacock until the summer games end with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.