Multi-hyphenism is everywhere. The entertainment industry, sure — we all know phrases like “writer-director†or “actress-singer†or “model-DJ,†as if the expected thing is to have a minimum of two jobs. The Olympics are a reminder that often athletes, even those at the highest level, have to be good at more than one thing: “all-around†gymnastics, multiple distances for swimming races, track and field. And yet two singular stars of the 2024 Paris Olympics stand as heartfelt and important reminders that being good at just one thing is more than enough.
In one corner, there’s gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, who, to quote Twitter, “does†pommel horse.
Whereas a handful of his gymnastics teammates compete in multiple events — consider Brody Malone’s floor, high bars, and vault obligations — Nedoroscik sticks to pommel horse, one of the most notoriously difficult gymnastics fields. His perfectly executed routine led the U.S. men’s gymnastics team to its first medal since 2008. He’s quickly become an internet favorite for a number of reasons: he wears glasses (endearing!), he can solve a Rubik’s cube really fast (okay!), and every time NBC cut back to him before he did his routine, it looked like he was sleeping (he told Today hosts he was visualizing his routine over and over again). Most important, he did his one thing, which is his job to do, and not anything else.
It’s no surprise, then, that the other Olympics main character to emerge is South Korean shooter Kim Yeji, which just goes to prove that you can do a sport at the Olympic level while having one hand in your pocket.
Shooting has always been one of those summer Olympics sports that begs questions like, “Is this a sport?†and “How exactly is it a sport?†and “What makes this a summer sport and not a winter one?â€
Don’t overthink it: The reason a video of her competing in Azerbaijan from May of this year went viral was in part due to her cool, calm focus and in part because she looks like she’s straight out of a John Wick movie with those crazy little glasses. Even with her daughter’s plush elephant attached to her hip as a good luck charm, Kim looks like someone who would put up a good fight against a Jason Statham protagonist.
Our two emerging main characters out of Paris prove that not only is it okay to be really good at just one thing, but sometimes that’s actually more helpful for the greater good, whether it’s leading your team to victory or achieving momentary, adoring viral internet fame from people who learned about you literally five days ago. That this appeals to a general viewing public — people whose one thing they’re really good at is turning on Peacock every morning — who might admittedly be a little lazy, who only have time to get good at one thing, and not five things. No one has to be a multi-hyphenate; they simply have to be so good at something that everyone is hard-pressed to think of an excuse as to why they should do anything else. Something worth considering, perhaps, when deciding to become a model-slash-DJ.