- Hometown: Houston, Texas
- Birth date/place: Dec. 31, 1985/Houston, Texas
- Club: Team Chevron
- Trains: University of Oklahoma
- Coach: Mark Williams
- School: University of Oklahoma (2008-09)
- Began gymnastics: 1990
Photo Gallery from 2008 Competitions
Videos from Gymnast.com
Personal info
Horton is competing in his first Olympic Games. He was named USA Gymnastics’ Men’s Athlete of the Year for
2008. He won the 2008 NCAA Nissen-Emery Award, which is given to the top male senior gymnast and is likened
to the Heisman Trophy. Horton was a member of the 2006 and 2007 World Championships Teams; he placed
fourth in the all-around at the 2007 Worlds, as well as helped the team to a fourth-place finish. Prior to Oklahoma,
he competed for Cypress Academy in Houston under coach Tom Meadows. A three-time team captain at
Oklahoma, Horton’s collegiate accomplishments include: 2006 NCAA all-around champion; Oklahoma records for
career All-America honors (18) and career NCAA individual titles (six), marks previously held by two-time Olympic
gold-medalist Bart Conner; and helping lead the Sooners to three NCAA team titles (2005-06, 2008) and a secondplace
finish in 2007. Horton’s last year of college eligibility for Oklahoma was the 2007-08 school year, but he still
has 15 credit hours to complete before earning his degree. In the future, Horton would like to open a gym, become
a stuntman or work for USA Gymnastics. His gymnastics goal is to compete for the United States in the Olympic
Games and bring home a gold medal. He's the son of Al, an engineer, and Margo, a realtor. He has an older sister,
Margo, who is a dance instructor. Horton is a big football fan and lists Oklahoma as his favorite team and the
Tennessee Titans' Vince Young as his favorite athlete. Horton has a Pomeranian named Harley.
Favorite Event: Horizontal bar
How did you get involved?: I was a wild child. 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.
Favorite thing about gymnastics: It’s always a thrill and a rush of adrenaline. The greatest thing in this sport is
learning a new skill and perfecting it when you struggled for a while.
Favorite music: 311, Linkin Park
Favorite TV show: Family Guy, South Park, Deal or No Deal
Favorite food: My favorite meal is BBQ chicken, refried beans, potato salad and a Coke.
Past Results
2008 - U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics*, Philadelphia, Pa.: 1, AA; 2, FX, SR; 4, PB, HB; 5, VT; 10th-FX
2008 - Visa Championships, Houston, Texas: 2, AA, SR; 3, FX; 5, VT; 6, PB
2008 - NCAA Championships, Stanford, Calif.: 1, team, SR; 2, AA; T4, PB; 9, FX
2008 - Tyson American Cup, New York, N.Y.: 5, AA
2008 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 3, SR
2007 - World Championships, Stuttgart, Germany: 4, team, AA
2007 - Visa Championships, San Jose, Calif.: 4, SR, PB; 6, AA, FX; 14, HB; T16, PH; T20, VT
2007 - USA/Ukraine/Russia, Kiev, Ukraine: 1, AA; 3, team
2007 - NCAA Championships, State College, Pa.: 1, FX, HB; T2, AA; 2, team; 3, SR
2007 - Tyson American Cup, Jacksonville, Fla.: 1, AA
2007 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: T2, FX; T4, PB; 6, HB
2006 - World Championships, Aarhus, Denmark:
2006 - Visa Championships, St. Paul, Minn.: 1, FX; 2, AA; T3, HB; 4, SR
2006 - France/Switzerland/USA meet, Paris: 1, team; 2, AA
2006 - Tyson American Cup, Philadelphia, Pa.: 1, AA
2006 - NCAA Championships, Norman, Okla.: 1, AA, SR, FX
2006 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: 2, AA; 3, FX, SR, HB
2005 - Sr. Pan American Championships, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 1, team
2005 - 14th Internationaux de France (World Cup), Paris:
2005 - Visa Championships, Indianapolis, Ind.: 5, AA, FX, VT
2005 - NCAA Championships, West Point, N.Y.: 1, team; 3, AA; T3, HB; 4, FX
2005 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: T1, FX; 4, VT
2004 - U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Anaheim, Calif.:
2004 - Visa U.S. Championships, Nashville, Tenn.:
2004 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.
2003 - Jr. International Invitational, Yokohama, Japan: 2, AA; 3, HB
2003 - Sr. Pan American Games, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: 3, team; T4, AA
2003 - U.S. Championships, Milwaukee, Wis.: 1, AA (Jr.)
2003 - J.O. Nationals, Savannah, Ga.: 2, HB; 3, AA; 4, SR, PB
2003 - Winter Cup Challenge, Las Vegas, Nev.: Individual Event Finalist
2002 - U.S. Championships, Cleveland, Ohio: 1, SR, VT; 2, AA, FX; T5, HB
2002 - J.O. Nationals, San Diego, Calif.: 1, AA; 2, FX, SR, V, PB; 3, HB
2002 - U.S. National Qualifier, Colorado Springs, Colo.:
2000 - J.O. Nationals, Austin, Texas: 2, AA; 3, SR, VT
1999 - J.O. Nationals, Houston, Texas:
Legend: AA=all-around; FX=floor exercise; PH=pommel horse; SR=still rings; VT=vault; PB=parallel bars; HB=horizontal bar
*2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics results represent weighted scores from Visa Championships and U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
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