Jonathan Horton
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jonathan Alan Horton (born December 31, 1985) is a former American artistic gymnast. He is the 2008 Olympic silver medalist on high bar, the 2010 World all-around bronze medalist, a two-time Olympian, a two-time U.S. National All-Around Champion, and a 17-time medalist at the U.S. National Championships. At the 2008 Olympics, he also won a bronze medal with his U.S. teammates in the team competition. He also competed at the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, where he qualified for the high bar event final and finished in sixth place. In 2016, he had surgery on his left rotator cuff and as a result was unable to qualify for the
2016 Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro ...
in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
.


Before 2005

Horton began gymnastics at the age of four in 1990. "I was a wild child", Horton said, "I once climbed a pole in the middle of Target all the way to the ceiling. I used to do back flips on my parents' bed and I rode a garage door to the top when I was 3 years old."Jonathan Horton
usagym.org
Horton made his debut as a senior (despite still competing as a junior) in 2002 competing at the U.S. National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio where he placed first on rings and vault, placed second in the all-around and the floor exercise, and tied for fifth on the high bar. In 2003, he competed in the Winter Cup challenge, where he qualified to the individual event finals. Later that year he was chosen to compete for US at the Pan American Games in
Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...
where the men's team won bronze and he placed fourth all-around. Horton competed in both the U.S. Nationals and Olympic Team trials in 2004, where he placed 13th. That same year, he entered the
University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
. He was recruited by Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State, and committed to compete for the University of Oklahoma beginning in 2004 for the 2004–05 NCAA season.


2005–08

From 2005–08, Horton competed for the
Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...
gymnastics team alongside his 2010 & 2011 world teammates Chris Brooks and
Steven Legendre Steven Legendre (born May 5, 1989) is an American gymnast who competed for the University of Oklahoma Sooners men's gymnastic team from 2008 to 2011 and is a member of the U.S. National Team. Early years Steven was born to Raymond and Lisa Lege ...
. During his time competing for Oklahoma, he won 6 NCAA titles and 18 All-American honors, breaking the record that was previously set by
Bart Conner Bart Wayne Conner (born March 28, 1958) is a retired American Olympic gymnast. As a member of the US men's gymnastics team at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Conner won two gold medals. He owns and operates the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in N ...
. His OU record for titles and honors still stands. In 2005, Horton once again competed at the Winter Cup, placing eighth all-around and was selected again for the U.S. National Team. At the beginning of 2006, during Horton's second year at OU, he won an all-around silver at the Winter Cup. He went on to compete at the American Cup where he won the all-around and rings competitions. That summer, he competed in the U.S. National Championships where he won gold on the floor, silver in the all-around and bronze on the horizontal bar. His performances led to him being chosen to represent the U.S.A. at the 2006 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
. A very young and inexperienced worlds team, they finished 13th in the qualifying rounds not making the team finals. In 2007, Horton competed at the Winter Cup and the American Cup again. He won his second consecutive American Cup All-Around title, the first male gymnast to do so since
Blaine Wilson Blaine Carew Wilson (born August 3, 1974) is a retired American gymnast. He is a five-time U.S. national champion (1996-2000), a three-time Olympian (1996, 2000, 2004), and an Olympic silver medalist in the team competition at the 2004 Olympic G ...
. After competing in the NCAA and U.S. National Championships he was once again chosen for the
2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The 40th World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar r ...
, where he finished fourth in the all-around and helped the U.S.A. qualify a full men's team to the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
. In 2008, Horton competed in Winter Cup, the American Cup as well as competing as a Senior for Oklahoma. That year the Sooners won the NCAA Championships, and Horton won another NCAA individual title on the rings. At the U.S. National Championships in Houston, Horton won silver medals on the floor, rings and all-around. This qualified him to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.


2008 Olympic Games

Horton was named to the
U.S. Olympic team United States of America (USA) has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern era Olympic Games, except for the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American athletes have w ...
following the 2008 Olympic Trials, where he was the all-around champion. The team entered the 2008 Beijing Olympics amongst much skepticism as to whether the team could compete against such established teams as the Japanese, Chinese, and German teams. Injuries had forced team leaders
Paul Hamm Paul Elbert Hamm (born September 24, 1982 in Washburn, Wisconsin) is a retired United States, American artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast. He is the 2004 Olympic Games, 2004 Olympic all-around champion, a three-time Gymnastics at the Summer Ol ...
and
Morgan Hamm Morgan Carl Hamm (born September 24, 1982 in Washburn, Wisconsin) is an American artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast. He is an Olympic silver medalist in the Gymnastics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's artistic team all-around, team compet ...
to withdraw from competition, causing the American team to bring in alternates
Raj Bhavsar Stephen Raj Bhavsar (born September 7, 1980) is an American artistic gymnast. He was a member of the 2001 and 2003 World Championships U.S. team. He earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. He was originally an alternat ...
and
Alexander Artemev Alexander Vladimirovich "Sasha" Artemev (russian: Александр Владимирович "Саша" Артемьев, be, Аляксандр Уладзіміравіч Арцем'еў; born August 29, 1985) is a retired American artistic g ...
. The American men performed better than anticipated, with Horton being the team's top performer. The American team ended the competition with the
bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...
after a stressful
pommel horse The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, the modern pommel horse has a metal body covered with foam rubber and ...
event. In the event finals, Horton placed ninth all-around and added a silver medal in the
high bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syste ...
event.


2009–12

In 2009, Horton became the U.S. National Champion, and went on to compete in the
2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The 41st World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at The O2 Arena in London from 12 to 18 October 2009. Similar to the 2005 World Championships, there were no team competitions. Individual all-around and event finals were contested. C ...
in London where he reached the finals in the all-around and on the horizontal bar. In 2010, Horton competed in the American Cup where he placed second all-around. That summer he defended his national all-around title at the U.S. National Championships in Hartford. He was selected for the
2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at the Rotterdam Ahoy indoor sporting arena in the Netherlands from 16 to 24 October 2010. In this year's championships, there was a total of 73 participating federations with 615 gymnasts ...
in Rotterdam, where the U.S. team placed fourth, and Horton won the all-around bronze medal. In 2011, Horton won his third American Cup all-around title, and was captain of the U.S. team that won the bronze medal at the
2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 7–16, 2011, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Due to uncertainty over the nuclear situation following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the Inte ...
. Although qualifying fifth all-around in the preliminary round, he was edged out by teammates
Danell Leyva Danell Johan Leyva (born October 30, 1991) is a Cuban-American former gymnast who competed for the United States. He is the 2012 Olympic individual all-around bronze medalist and 2016 Olympic parallel bars and horizontal bar silver medalist. H ...
and
John Orozco John Orozco (born December 30, 1992) is an American artistic gymnast who competed in the 2012 Olympics and is the 2012 U.S national champion. He was selected to the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team for the 2016 Olympic Games, but withdrew on July 15 ...
(only two athletes from each country were allowed to compete in individual event finals). Regarding this he said "I didn't make the all-around final because two of my teammates are freakin' awesome at gymnastics – but it doesn't matter, because I'm all about the team". During the team final, he had a bad landing on vault, injuring his left foot, but continued to compete. The next day he was unable to walk, yet after treatment competed on the rings. On returning home, it was discovered that the injury was worse than previously thought, with a torn ligament and broken two bones in a foot that would require surgery. Despite this setback in his training, he told media that it could actually make him stronger gymnast because ' e wouldhave an opportunity to get really strong on the other four events.' In 2012, Horton qualified for the men's artistic gymnastic 2012 London Olympic team. The ''New York Times'' stated that the team roster was "considered so good that it could be the first United States men's team to win gold since the 1984 Los Angeles Games." The team finished fifth, while Horton's best result in an individual event final was sixth place on the horizontal bar.


Awards and honours

* 2008 NCAA
Nissen-Emery Award The Nissen Award (Nissen Emery Award) is the award given to the best male collegiate gymnast in the United States. The award reflects admirable scholarship and moral characteristics as well as sporting success. List of winners See also * AAI Aw ...
winner * 2008 USA Gymnastics Men's Athlete of the Year * Nominated for 2008
James E. Sullivan Award The AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), is awarded annually in April to "the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Representatives from the AAU created the AAU Sullivan Award with the int ...
.


Personal life

Horton's father, Robert, is an engineer, and mother, Margo, works in real estate. His elder sister, Margo, is a dance instructor. On June 20, 2009, Horton married Haley DeProspero, M.D., a former gymnast for the University of Oklahoma.Gibson, Daniel
Jonathan Horton
usagym.org


National competition results

* 2011 Visa Championships (US Nationals), Saint Paul, MN: 2nd-AA * 2010 Visa Championships (US Nationals), Hartford, CT: 1st-AA * 2009 Visa Championships (US Nationals), Dallas, TX.:1st-AA, HB, SR; 2nd-FX * 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials: 1st-AA * 2008 Visa Championships (US Nationals): 2nd-AA, SR; 3rd-FX * 2008 NCAA Championships: first team; 2nd-AA; 1st-SR * 2008 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 3rd-SR * 2007 Visa Championships, San Jose, Calif.: 4th-PB, SR; 6th-AA * 2007 NCAA Championships, State College, Pa.: 1st-FX, HB; 2nd-AA(T); 2nd-Team; 3rd-SR * 2007 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 2nd-FX(T); 4th-PB(T); 6th-HB * 2006 Visa Championships, St. Paul, Minn.: 1st-FX; 2nd-AA; 3rd-HB(T); 4th-SR * 2006 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, Norman, Okla.: 1st-AA, FX, SR * 2006 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 2nd-AA; 3rd-FX, SR, HB * 2005 Visa Championships, Indianapolis, Ind.: 5th-AA, FX, VT * 2005 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, West Point, N.Y.: 1st-Team; 3rd-AA, HB(T); 4th-FX * 2005 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 1st-FX(T); 4th-VT * 2004 Visa Championships, Nashville, Tenn.: * 2004 Winter Cup, Las Vegas, Nev.: * 2003 National Championships, Milwaukee, Wis.: 1st-AA (Jr. Div) * 2003 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, Savannah, Ga.: 2nd-HB; 3rd-AA; 4th-SR, PB * 2003 Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: Individual Event Finalist * 2002 U.S. Championships, Cleveland, Ohio: 1st-SR, VT; 2nd-AA, FX; 5th-HB(T) * 2002 U.S. Men's Qualifier, Colorado Springs, Colo.: * 2002 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, San Diego, Calif.: 1st-AA; 2nd-FX, SR, VT, PB; 3rd-HB * 2000 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, Austin, Texas: 2nd-AA; 3rd-SR, VT * 1999 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships, Houston, Texas * 1998 Circle of Stars, Indianapolis, Indiana: 1st FX, PH, SR, VT, PB, HB, AA


International competition results

*
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, London, England: 5th-Team; 6th-HB * 2011 World Championships, Tokyo, Japan: 3rd-Team; 7th-SR * 2011 AT&T American Cup, Jacksonville, FL: 1st-AA * 2010 World Championships, Rotterdam, Netherlands: 4th-Team; 3rd-AA * 2009 World Championships, London, England * 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Beijing, China: 3rd-Team; 2nd-HB * 2008 Tyson American Cup, New York, N.Y.: 5th-AA * 2007 World Championships, Stuttgart, Germany: 4th-Team, AA * 2007 USA vs. UKR vs. RUS, Kiev, Ukraine: 1st-AA; 3rd-Team * 2007 Tyson American Cup, Jacksonville, Fla.: 1st-AA * 2006 World Championships, Aarhus, Denmark: Team * 2006 France/Switzerland/USA Meet, Paris, France: 1st-Team; 2nd-AA * 2006 Tyson American Cup, Philadelphia, Pa.: 1st-AA * 2005 Pan American Championships, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 1st-Team * 2005 World Cup, Paris, France: * 2003 Junior International Invitational, Yokohama, Japan: 2nd-AA; 3rd-HB * 2003 Pan American Games, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: 3rd-Team; 4th-AA(T)


2008 Tour of Gymnastics Superstars

Horton performed alongside his 2008 Beijing Olympic teammates at The 2008 Tour of Gymnastics Superstars. The tour began on September 7, 2008 and concluded on November 16. The dance sets had a mix of hip hop and contemporary dance with gymnastic elements.Cast
. gymnasticssuperstars.com


American Ninja Warrior

Horton has competed on three seasons of
American Ninja Warrior American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
. In Season 6 (2014), he failed on the 5th obstacle, the Ring Toss, in the Dallas Qualifying course. Horton became "the shortest man to ever make it to the top of the warped wall" as a walk-on to the Houston Qualifying course for Season 7 (2015). He finished in 13th place with a time of 3:30.32. In Season 9, Horton's 4:27.28 finish gave him the 14th fastest time on the San Antonio qualifying course.


References


External links

* * * * * * *
Jonathan Horton
at NBC Olympics * ;Video interviews
Jonathan Horton Interview
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Jonathan 1985 births Living people American male artistic gymnasts American Ninja Warrior contestants Gymnasts at the 2003 Pan American Games Gymnasts at the 2008 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Olympic silver medalists for the United States in gymnastics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in gymnastics Oklahoma Sooners men's gymnasts Sportspeople from Houston Gymnasts from Texas Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in gymnastics Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games