PARIS, France — After winning two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik is talking with Elmo.
A sweet online exchange between the glasses-wearing pommel horse specialist and the "Sesame Street" star is melting fans' hearts.
Elmo reached out to Nedoroscik on Tuesday to ask for advice about how to specialize in an activity.
"Mr. Stephen Nedoroscik, Elmo wants to be a specialist too!" Elmo said. "Elmo was thinking he could be the giggle specialist or maybe a monster-hug specialist. Elmo will keep thinking!"
"Elmo, the great thing about specializing in something is you get to decide," Nedoroscik replied. "I think you’ll be a great specialist in anything you end up choosing!"
Elmo in turn wrote back, "Thank you, Mr. Steve! You are so kind! Elmo is now the official specialist of giggles!!!!!!! Ha ha ha! Elmo loves you!"
Nedoroscik, 25, finished third in the pommel horse on Saturday, five days after helping the American men’s team earn bronze — its first Olympic medal in 16 years.
Along the way, he’s captured the hearts of Olympics viewers with his endearing personality and nerdy tendencies.
“It’s still just surreal to me. I wake up in the morning, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m a two-time Olympic medalist!' It is so cool,” Nedoroscik told The Associated Press. With both medals hanging around his neck, he beamed and laughed as he marveled at his rise to fame and the attention his specialty in gymnastics is receiving.
Images and clips of Nedoroscik removing his glasses and centering himself before hopping on the pommel horse for a focused routine have gone viral. The memes and tweets have likened him to Clark Kent taking off his glasses and transforming into a hero.
“The memes are hilarious and I’m loving them all,” he said.