James Gunnar Nixon (born January 13, 1993) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...

. He broke the American high school record for the event in 2011, and was the World Junior Champion in 2012. He won his first national title indoors in 2013, and was runner-up at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His personal record for the decathlon is 8313 points at the

2013 IAAF World Championships The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013) () was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Initially, Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since ...

. or

Career

Born in Weatherford, Oklahoma,How it took a village to raise Edmond Santa Fe track champion Gunnar Nixon
newsok.com he was the fourth child of Tim and Kerri Nixon. He was raised in Tulsa until he moved to

Edmond Edmond is a given name related to Edmund. Persons named Edmond include: * Edmond Canaple (1797–1876), French politician * Edmond Chehade (born 1993), Lebanese footballer * Edmond Conn (1914–1998), American farmer, businessman, and politician ...

as a high school sophomore. He attended Edmond Santa Fe High School, where he started taking part in decathlon competitions and broke the national high school record with a score of 8035 points (which brought him the Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year Award in the men's section).Gunnar Nixon
. Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved on 2013-08-10. He won at the Arcadia Invitational high school competition with a meet record of 7573 points (with junior implements). He entered the individual

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

at the 2012 Summer Youth Olympics and placed sixth in his final. At the

2011 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The 16th Pan American Junior Championships were held in Miramar, Florida, United States, at the Ansin Sports Complex on July 22 to 24, 2011.

he took the silver medal in the decathlon behind American team mate Kevin Lazas. He won an athletic scholarship to study at the University of Arkansas. In his first season for the Arkansas Razorbacks he broke the world junior record for the indoor heptathlon with a score of 6022 points. He followed this with a runner-up finish at the Southeastern Conference indoor championships, then gained his first All-American honours with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championship. In the outdoor season he came third at the SEC Outdoor Championship meet then came fifth with an American junior record of 7892 points at the NCAA Outdoor Championship. He won both the American junior title, and the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

at the

2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes qualifying as juniors (born 1993 or later) which was held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on 10–15 ...

. Nixon started the 2013 indoor season with a heptathlon personal record of 6232 points to win at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships – his first national title. At the Hypo-Meeting in Europe in May he broke 8000 points for the first time in a decathlon with senior implements, taking third place with a score of 8136 points. Forgoing collegiate competition that year, he focused on the

2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 20–23 in conjunction with the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Champions ...

. There he led for the first day but fell behind Ashton Eaton in the second day to close the decathlon with a personal record of 8198 points for second place. This earned him selection for the

2013 World Championships in Athletics The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013) () was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Initially, Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 200 ...

Fall 2013

Joined Coach Jeremy Fischer and Craig Poole at USA Olympic Training Center in

Chula Vista, CA Chula Vista (; ) is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fifteenth largest city in the state of California, and the 78th-largest city in the United States. The popu ...

. Coach Art Venegas will assist in the throws.

Personal records

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

– 10.80 sec (2013) *

400 meters The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...

– 48.37 sec (2011) *

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

– 4:22.36 min (2012) *

110-meter hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurd ...

– 14.13 sec (2014) *

High jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

– 2.17 m (2012) * Pole vault – 4.66 m (2013) * Long jump – 7.80 m (2013) *

Shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

– 14.68 m (2013) * Discus throw – 42.38 m (2013) * Javelin throw – 60.44 m (2013) *

Decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...

– 8313 pts (2013)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nixon, Gunnar 1993 births Living people American male decathletes Sportspeople from Edmond, Oklahoma Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Arkansas Razorbacks men's track and field athletes USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century American sportsmen