Stephen Nedoroscik’s comeback story has officially begun. Earlier in September, the pommel horse specialist revealed that he underwent surgery to fix a cam deformity in his hip – his femoral head was shaped more like an oval than a sphere, causing excess joint impingement. That abnormality led to a double labrum tear and cartilage damage. But now, with the issue finally corrected and the green light to walk again, Nedoroscik is letting fans in on his recovery routine.

Four weeks after surgery, the Olympian stepped out for a short walk with his girlfriend, Tess McCracken. He said his doctor had cleared him earlier that week and that his physiotherapist had been pushing him to start walking. “So, I’m doing it!” he announced. Soon after, he took to Instagram to share a snapshot-style look at what his day-to-day recovery really involves. The first slide set the tone. In the second, he held his cat, Kyushu, flashing a Clark Kent–like smile—taken moments after waking up. The charm quickly gave way to the grind as the next slide showed him “Heading to PT.”

Inside the physiotherapy center, Nedoroscik looked upbeat, giving two thumbs-up and crouching mid-pose to signal that he was improving. He captioned the moment, “Made it! Making progress everyday.” That was followed by some “little bike work” as part of his rehab. The final slide brought a cozy finish: he stood in the kitchen with a saucepan in hand, sipping what looked like soup or stew. “Cooking up some food to keep me fueled during recovery 🧑‍🍳,” he wrote.

But the most meaningful message was hiding in plain sight in the caption of the Instagram post. In a message that measured his mindset, he reminded followers, “Recovery isn’t easy, but it’s part of the journey. Every rep, every stretch, every small win matters. Rebuilding extraordinary starts here. 👊”

While his routine shows the discipline guiding his comeback, Nedoroscik isn’t quite ready to return to full Olympic form yet. Before diving back into his heavy training load, an unexpected opportunity has entered the picture.

Stephen Nedoroscik aims for LA28, but there’s one stop before

Nedoroscik’s long-term target remains the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where he hopes to dominate the pommel horse. “I’m going to continue going. L.A. [2028 Olympics] would be amazing, so I want to shoot for that,” he said confidently. Still, he made a small detour before fully resuming his Olympic grind – he had been invited to appear on Dancing With The Stars season 34 on the occasion of the show’s 20th year celebration.

The invitation came from Ilona Maher herself. Recently, Nedoroscik posted a screenshot of their conversation, where the American rugby union player asked if he could make it to that week’s DWTS show. Although he’s still recovering, the gymnast replied, “My doctor cleared me to but I haven’t got a flight yet [I can be easily convinced].” Maher’s response was simple and firm: “Do it!” And he kept his word. He appeared on the show. Taking to his Instagram Stories, the gymnast shared a visual posted by Amy Purdy. In the photo, he sat near the athlete representing Team USA, writing, “@TeamUSA came to represent.”  

The appearance brought a wave of nostalgia for Stephen Nedoroscik. In the previous season, he finished in fourth place while Maher emerged as the runner-up. He even withdrew from the 2024 Gold Over America Tour to compete on DWTS. For now, though, the pommel horse expert knows his main task is rebuilding strength, restoring agility, and ultimately getting back to the gym.