PARIS — Aptly, he tucked an American flag into the back of his sweatshirt collar, turning the stars and stripes into a cape. Stephen Nedoroscik is, after all, America’s new favorite superhero.

A star crafted straight out of the Olympic script, Nedoroscik stars on a piece of equipment that the average sports fan has no earthly idea how to determine a good routine from a bad one. He wears glasses because of a congenital eye disease that renders his eyes permanently dilated, solves Rubik’s Cubes for relaxation, eats exactly six pieces of green apple and a chocolate muffin on competition days, and laughs like something straight out of “Beavis and Butt-Head.”

When he sat down at the dais for his news conference after securing a second bronze medal, Nedoroscik took the index finger of his right hand and pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. The only thing missing from central casting — a piece of tape to hold them together.

But when Nedoroscik swings on the pommel horse, flying through a routine that is obviously complex enough that even the gymnastics novices would know that it’s good, he is Clark Kent post phone booth, his glasses shed and his entire being transformed.

Stephen Nedoroscik finishes his pommel horse routine in the final and the crowd goes WILD! 👏 #ParisOlympics

📺 E! and Peacock pic.twitter.com/JbCPmqNJA7

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— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024

Six nights ago, Nedoroscik nailed his routine — the very last of the night — to assure the United States its first team medal in men’s gymnastics in 16 years. On Monday, he spent the evening screaming for his teammates, cupping his mouth with his hands to make sure his support was heard. But on Saturday night, Nedoroscik sat at the end of the competition area alone. His head cast downward, staring at the floor, he didn’t so much as glance over as the first four gymnasts performed, let alone glance at the scoreboard.

In a script flip from the team final, Nedoroscik went smack dab in the middle, fifth out of eight gymnasts. He nailed a 15.300, slotting him in third place. Instead of waiting to compete, he had to wait to ensure he got on the podium. When South Korea’s Hur Woong fell off the apparatus, securing the bronze, Nedoroscik thrust his hands into the air, to the delight of the crowd.

“It’s definitely not the best scenario to be in, when there’s a few more gymnasts to go and you’re sitting in third,’’ Nedoroscik said. “It’s a little bit of a nail-biter, but I was confident that my score was maybe good enough to hold.’’

It is that confidence that maybe has been unappreciated in this whole nerd-to-champion run. Nedoroscik did not happen onto the Olympic stage accidentally. He is a 2021 World Champion and a two-time NCAA Champion. He was intentionally put on the U.S. squad to ensure a better team score. Men’s gymnastics purposefully opted away from the more subjective selection process that the women used, opting instead to run the numbers and see what spits out the best score. In every scenario, adding Nedoroscik made sense.

But let’s be serious. No one cares about any of that. The joy of the Olympics comes as much from the unexpected as the impressive. Simone Biles, who secured her seventh gold medal just a few minutes before Nedoroscik competed, is inevitable. Nedoroscik is Everyman, relatable thanks to his ordinariness outside of his pommel horse extraordinariness. He is not someone that you would stop and stare at if he were to walk down the street; he does not scream Olympic athlete.

And so when he of all people became an Olympic hero, he walked straight into the vortex of American fame, an underdog turned into a champion, winning one for the U.S. of A. Nedoroscik exploded as only one can in today’s social media world. His is now a face that launched a thousand memes, plenty Nedoroscik has seen himself. An eyewear company, eyebobs, cleverly launched a marketing campaign around his specs, renaming — or reframing as it were — one of their designs into “the Stephen.’’ At 11:16 a.m, ET, the time Nedoroscik was slated to compete, people could try to claim a free pair. The New York Post’s Page Six and US Weekly did a blurb about his girlfriend.

Nedorosock has been both delightfully amused by all of it — “Really? She was? I didn’t know that,’’ Nedoroscik said about the insta-fame of Tess McCracken, his girlfriend. “Go Tess,’’ — and delightfully amusing. Asked who was the most famous person to reach out to him on social media, Nedoroscik said, “The guy that wrote “Fault in Our Stars” tweeted about me. That was insane.’’ That would be John Green, author of the melodrama about two terminally ill teenagers.

But he also knew that, despite what people said about him after the team final, he did not just have one job to do; he had two. He wanted an event final medal as well, and the competition, he knew would be fierce. Rhys McClenaghan, who would win the gold for Ireland, is a two-time World Champion; Max Whitlock, from Great Britain, won the last two Olympic medals on pommel horse, and the gap between first and sixth in qualifying was as measly .200.

So after enjoying his 15 minutes of fame for a handful of days, Nedoroscik purposefully turned off his notifications. He wanted to quiet the noise. Nedoroscik owns an electrical engineering degree from Penn State and his coach, Randy Jespon, told The Athletic that he’s extremely analytical. He likes routine, and so in an Olympic village devoid of his teammates, who already finished competing, he hunkered down. He tinkered with his Rubik’s Cube, trying to beat his under-10-second goal. He listened to music. He ate his apples and his muffin.

Nedoroscik tinkered with changing his routine, maybe adding difficulty in response to the talented field. He tried a few alternatives, but didn’t like how they felt, and as he said after the team final, his routine is “all by feel.’’

So he went with what felt right.

There is no arguing that Nedoroscik would have loved a gold; the U.S. hasn’t won one in an individual event since 1984. But when the moderator at the post-meet news conference introduced McClenaghan explaining that it was Ireland’s first Olympic medal in gymnastics, the true to his nature Nedoroscik raised his eyebrows. “Dude, that is soooo cool,’’ he said, reaching over to give the Irishman a bro handshake.

The two exchange challenges, each referencing Los Angeles. Later Nedoroscik confirmed his future plans with no hesitation. “I’m definitely running it back in 2028,’’ he said. But that is for another day.

In the immediate, Nedoroscik was looking forward to reconnecting with his family, turning his notifications back on and resting his weary body. Even superheroes, after all, need a break.

Required reading

(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

The opening ceremony of the Olympics was immediately under criticism, and it “saddened” Pope Francis.

A statement released by the Vatican Saturday evening said there should be “no allusions ridiculing the religious convictions of many people.”

“The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and can only join the voices that have been raised in recent days to deplore the offence caused to many Christians and believers of other religions,” the statement said.

“At a prestigious event where the whole world comes together to share common values, there should be no allusions ridiculing the religious convictions of many people. The freedom of expression, which is clearly not called into question here, is limited by respect for others.”

The ceremony turned heads when it included a headless Marie Antoinette early on, then a ménage à trois.

However, what made critics most angry was when the ceremony appeared to depict a mock Last Supper with people dressed in drag.

The performance took place during a floating parade on the Seine River last week and featured drag queens seated around a table with one person, painted blue, sitting atop the table. Many argue the display resembled the Da Vinci painting depicting a scene from the Gospel of John when Jesus announces that one of his apostles would betray him.

Some of the performers who appeared in the Last Supper depiction in the 2024 Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony.  (Reuters/Tingshu Wang)

FRENCH POLE VAULTER BECOMES INTERNET SENSATION AFTER HIS MANHOOD COSTS HIM CHANCE AT OLYMPIC MEDAL

There’s been mixed messaging from Olympic organizers over what was behind the drag scene. One spokesperson reportedly admitted to the New York Post that creative director Thomas Jolly took inspiration from da Vinci’s painting, “The Last Supper.” Others have claimed no offense was intended, and it was merely a nod to Greek mythology.

Many Christian faith leaders and celebrities, like Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, fitness guru Jillian Michaels, Elon Musk, actress Candace Cameron Bure and ex-transgender influencer Oli London, expressed disappointment in the depiction.

Delegations arrive at the Trocadero during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris July 26, 2024. (Loic Venance/Pool/AFP via Getty Images))

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.; Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene; Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini; conservative French politician and European Parliament member Marion Maréchal; and Hungary’s ambassador to the Vatican, Eduard Habsburg, are among officials who condemned the presentation.

Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Cortney O’Brien, Brian Flood, Ryan Gaydos and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The fabric was so soft and official. The polyamide-spandex blend hugged, yet still breathed. The speedsuit’s pink piping and yellow Adidas logo practically glowed against the kit’s deep purple, a color Adidas dubs “preloved fig.” McKenzie Long put it on and modeled in the nearest mirror, seeing how it complimented her skin tone, her muscles, the tattoo sleeve covering her right arm.

This speedsuit could be bought for about $300. But her cost was much more. Her price was all of her discipline. An untold number of brutal workouts. The pain in every defeat. The hunger remaining after victory. A life devoid of typical indulgences. But her reward, one of them, came shortly before the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. Long turned pro and signed an endorsement deal with the sports apparel giant. The inaugural donning of her speedsuit punctuated the milestone.

Oh, what she’d have given for her mother to lay the first eyes on it, have the honor of first reaction.

But Tara Elizabeth Jones, neé Murphy, died on Jan. 29 of a heart attack. She was a little over two months from her 46th birthday. When Long left her mother’s home in Hawaii over Christmas break, they both envisioned the success Long would capture. Mom spoke her Olympic dreams into existence, breathing confidence into her daughter’s hidden areas of doubt. Mrs. Jones earned this breakthrough as much as her daughter.

“When I first put this pro uniform on,” Long, 24, said last month. Her voice trembled until it cracked. Tears welled to the brim of her mascara. “I was like, ‘I really wish you could see me in my pro uniform.’”

Grief is reputed for its sucker punches. A master in the art of unbeknownst, its specialty is sneaking up on the grieving, pouncing on the smallest triggers. A song. A piece of candy. A similar laugh. A certain word or how it’s delivered. A random gesture.

Long is increasingly familiar with grief’s stealthy ways. Just before the women’s 100-meter final at trials, she waited in a designated area before the race. One of the officials at Hayward Field, on the campus of the University of Oregon, used the opportunity to gift Long a bracelet. This unknown person learned of Long’s story, how she’d sprinted into notoriety despite the recent death of her mother, and was moved to kindness. The bracelet she gave Long included an encouraging message and was delivered with comforting words.

Suddenly, Long’s focus shifted from pre-race intensity to a brewing sadness she struggled to suppress.

“It was a stone bracelet, and it had a meaning behind it,” Long said. “And I was reading it. … It was, like, an empowerment bracelet. She said, “You’re in my prayers’ and all this sentimental stuff. I was like, ‘Dang, I’m trying to lock in.’”

But grief is also bold enough to show up in significant times. To wait in the open. To stare its targets in the face, challenging them to handle the deluge of emotion.

It sure keeps meeting Long in her biggest moments. At the 2024 NCAA outdoor championships, where she became a hot name in the world of track and field by winning a national title in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the 4×100 relay. In her room in Eugene, Ore., after she missed making the women’s 100-meter final at trials (by .07 seconds) and could’ve used a bosom on which to collapse from the disappointment. After she’d taken third in the 200-meter final, beating out Sha’Carri Richardson for a spot on her first Olympic team.

The next climax of Long’s journey is upon her in Paris. This is the part carved from her fantasies, what’s been driving her on this incredible run. It’s full of monumental occasions. Arriving at the Olympic Village. Putting on her red, white and blue uniform with “USA” across her chest. Stepping to the blocks on this most massive stage, against the best in the world.

“That’s gonna be another monumental moment,” she said. “Another hard-reality moment.”

Grief will certainly stalk her in those times, prey on her desire for her mother’s presence and anchoring voice. Mom always knew just what to say to calm Kenzie down when she was going haywire before a meet.

Or turn her up.

“You’re McKenzie Long. They should be afraid of you.”

“Piece of cake” has become their mantra. That’s how mom classified her favorite sprinter’s lofty ambitions.

That’s why Long is so determined to make sure her mother is with her. Every step of the way. She’s been known to find a private spot in the stands before the race so she could talk to her mom. The conversation continues at the starting block.

“Let’s do this, mom.”

“You got this baby girl.”

When Long crosses the finish line, she’s got more words for the maternal spirit she keeps close. Then in interviews, she speaks of her freely, though it may hurt. Because keeping her mother present is preserving a critical element of how she made it here.

Grief can be a consumer of energy, a larcenist of zeal, powerful enough to buckle the strongest. Many people need it to run its course and vacate before resuming their usual excellence. Long, though, is among those who can forge through grief and emerge better than ever. A heavy heart hasn’t slowed her down.

She’s been nothing short of spectacular the last couple of months. She had a dominant final season at Ole Miss, capped by a performance at the NCAA championships that put her name on the marquee. Then she was one of the darlings of the Olympic trials. She is convinced it’s with the aid of her mother. She can hear her voice in the wind. Feel her like a sensation.

It seems, for Long, the same thing that makes you fast makes you cry.

“Going into these past couple months,” Long explained, “(I’m) just not separating my mom, including her in everything that I do. … Doing the little things that remind me of my mom and include that into the track and field world. And, honestly, that’s helped me so much. Letting me feel her. Letting me include her. Hearing her voice play back in my head. It pushes me through.”

Gabby Thomas and McKenzie Long embrace after the 200-meter at U.S. Olympic trials. Both qualified for Paris, where competition begins Sunday. (Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

Jones’ death has been a crushing blow for many in her circle. In addition to her four children — Jake, Isaiah, McKenzie and Karmen — Jones spent her life helping people, including the most in need. As a psychiatric travel nurse, she provided care and support for people struggling with mood and psychotic disorders, substance abuse and even dementia. Travel Psych RNs work everywhere from hospitals to homes, clinics to schools.

Jones’ career matched her reputation as empathetic. It was reciprocated in February as 92 people donated towards her funeral expenses, raising more than $6,700 for her service back in Ironton, Ohio.

“Tara was a cherished friend whose infectious laughter and genuine empathy brightened the lives of those around her,” her husband wrote. “Whether lending a listening ear or offering words of encouragement, Tara’s presence had a profound impact on everyone she encountered.”

No one mistook her kindness for weakness, though. Jones was a straight shooter with little to no hesitancy speaking her heart. She celebrated her ninth wedding anniversary with a transparent post to listeners of the Cup of Jones podcast with her husband about the hurt she’s endured in her marriage. She talked openly about having bariatric surgery — an operation that alters the digestive system to induce weight loss — last August and what she deemed a harmful relationship with food. The surgery seemed to be a physical and emotional success. She created a playlist for her workouts — “Don’t Be A Lazy B—” is what she titled it — including songs by Lizzo and Cardi B. Long was listening to it during trials.

The jewels of a queen’s crown are her children. Jones’ oldest, Jake Long, played football at West Virginia, and now he’s an entrepreneur. Jones moved the family from Ironton to Columbus so he could train at a higher level. Isaiah is a dancer and rave thrower who openly talks about thriving with autism. Karmen, the baby, is a burgeoning model.

And, of course, the nation now knows her beloved Kenzie.

Her explosion onto the scene wasn’t a fluke. It’s been a slow grind. Steady progression made sturdy by adversity. Long spent four years in North Carolina State’s prestigious program, working her way into an All-American. In May of 2021, she had hip surgery to correct an issue bad enough for hip replacement to be considered. A year later, she set North Carolina State’s record in the 200 meters (23.00 seconds). But she didn’t qualify for NCAAs.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Long left NC State — with two bachelor’s degrees, one in psychology, the other in communication. She transferred to Ole Miss as a graduate student.

As a Rebel, she grew into elite.

Her best 100-meter time at N.C. State: 11.49 seconds. At Ole Miss, she dropped it 11.00 in 2023. In the 200 meters, she never posted a time below 23 seconds time at N.C. State. But in 2023 at Ole Miss, she got it down to 22.31.

Running for Ole Miss, McKenzie Long was 2024 NCAA outdoor champion in the 100- and 200-meter. She’ll run the 200 in Paris. (Morgan Engel / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Then came the NCAA championships. Long looked like a future star, best in America. She won a national title in the 100 meters (with a personal best time of 10.91 seconds) and in the 200 meters (another personal best, 21.83 seconds). She also ran the anchor leg for Ole Miss’ national title in the 4×100 relay. All of this went down in about 90 minutes. Piece of cake.

Suddenly, Long — who is also leaving Ole Miss with two master’s degrees, one in criminal justice and one in public health — emerged as one of the fastest women in the world and was named a semifinalist for the coveted Bowerman Award.

“I have to do a double take,” Long’s dad, Michael, told WSAZ News in their hometown. “Because, like, that’s my daughter. It absolutely blows my mind. … She really didn’t have a lot of time to grieve and go through the grieving process. To push through that, I just look forward to seeing her compete with those Olympians.”

Something’s revealing about her best event being the 200 meters. Speed with a shot of endurance. Long’s fast enough for the 100. Her personal best time would’ve gotten her to the final at trials, where anything is possible. She was so close, she spent the next day or so crying from the letdown.

But the 100 was just the appetizer for her main course. The 200 also requires elite speed, but something more. Running the curve demands additional technique and makes lane position more relevant. But the 200 can also be more forgiving. Rough starts aren’t quite as punishing. Because the 200 is about finishing. Exploding out of the turn. Digging deep for the final stretch. Hitting top speed and holding it. The last 100. The last 60. The last 20. It’s a test of strength and will, to be fast farther.

The finish is when Long’s potential becomes visceral. Determination chisels her jaw. Power concentrates in her eyes. Sometimes, you can see her dig deeper. Summon something extra.

She knows from where that extra comes. Whenever she grabs her phone, she kisses the picture of her mother on the screen before unlocking it. Mrs. Jones looks so happy in that picture, smiling on a beach in Hawaii.

“Mom, I made a commitment to you, and as the strong woman you raised, there is no excuses,” Long wrote on Instagram a week before her mother’s “Celebration of Life” service. “I got a very powerful guardian angel by my side through it all and I know you will never fail me. I live through you. I got you. I got us.”

An open book like her mother, she’s talked of her bouts with anxiety, and how overwhelming the transition to professional has been. Not to mention the daunting prospect of running against fellow American Gabby Thomas, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred and Great Britain’s Daryll Neita.

All of this while grief nips at her heels.

“I’m so inspired by her story,” Gabby Thomas said of Long. “I watched her at the NCAAs. There are so many amazing female athletes in our sport, and some of them just really stick out and stand out. And she’s one of them. I’m so touched by her season and how hard she’s worked and what she’s overcome. … She has something. She has something really special.”

She could very well earn her first Olympic medal. At a minimum, her story will be told to millions while she’s in Paris, her name increasingly known in the track and field world and in her home country.

Long could be one of the star American women in track and field. She’s got the talent for it. She’s got the drive for it. She’s got the resilience for it.

She’s also got the mom for it. Piece of cake.

GO DEEPER

Gabby Thomas, Olympic 200-meter favorite, is firmly in the spotlight — and ready for it

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(Top photo of McKenzie Long during U.S. Olympic trials: Charlie Neibergall / AP)