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Michael Hixon

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Michael Hixon
Personal information
Born (1994-07-16) July 16, 1994 (age 30)[1]
Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.[2]
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Sport
Country United States
Event(s)3 meter springboard, 3 meter springboard synchro
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's diving
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 3 m synchro
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Kazan 1 m springboard
Youth Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Singapore 3 m springboard
FINA World Junior Diving Championships
Silver medal – second place 2010 Tucson 3 meter synchro

Michael Hixon (born July 16, 1994) is an American diver. He won the silver medal with Sam Dorman in the synchronized 3 meter springboard at the 2016 Rio Olympics.[3] He also won bronze at the 2015 World Championships in the 1 meter springboard.[4]

Early life

Hixon was born in Amherst, Massachusetts to Mandy and David Hixon. He has an elder brother Matthew.[1] He studied at Amherst Regional High School.[5] His mother is a diving coach at the University of Massachusetts and started coaching Michael Hixon diving when he was aged seven.[2] He started entering competitions two years later.[6]

Diving career

Junior championships

Michael Hixon (left) and Sam Dorman at the 2016 Olympics

Hixon began diving at the national level when he was 12 and has won the 1-meter competition at the national championships three years running.[6] Hixon is a six-time junior U.S. champion,[7] and won two bronze medals, in the 1 meter and 3 meter events, at the 2009 Junior Pan-American Diving Championships in Calgary.[6]

He subsequently paired with Kristian Ipsen to win a silver at the 2010 FINA World Junior Diving Championships in Tucson, Arizona in the 3 meter synchronized springboard event,[8] but only managed a tenth place finish in the 3 meter solo event.[9]

2010 Summer Youth Olympics

Hixon won in the 3 meter springboard event at a national selection camp and qualified for Youth Olympic trials in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he won a bronze medal and thus secured a spot to represent the United States at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in the 3 meter springboard event.[10]

The event in the first-ever Youth Olympics in Singapore consisted of a 15-man preliminary round and an eight-man final round. After the ten-dive preliminary round, Hixon carried over enough points into the final to begin the final round in third.[11] Although he was sixth after his first dive in the final[12] and fourth heading into his final dive, a poor dive by Italy's Giovanni Tocci allowed Hixon to claim bronze on his final dive,[11] finishing with a score of 554.65 points behind Qiu Bo of China and Oleksandr Bondar of Ukraine.[5][13]

U.S. National Championships

At the 2011 US National Championships, Hixon captured the senior men 1-meter springboard title at the UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles.[14]

2016 Summer Olympics

Hixon qualified to and represented the United States in both the 3 metre synchronized synchro and men's individual 3 metre springboard events at tbe 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.[15][16]

In the men's 3 meter springboard synchro event, Hixon along with his diving partner Sam Dorman was placed second and won the silver medal.[17]

In the mens individual 3 metre springboatd, he finished 10th, while his former 3 metre synchro partner Kristian Ipsen placed fifth in the same event.[18]

Personal life

Hixon's parents both coach in American collegiate sports. His mother, Mandy Hixon, who is his personal coach, is also the diving coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and formerly coached at Amherst College and Williams College.[6] His mother was one of the United States' three coaches at the 2010 FINA Junior World Championships.[19]

His father, Dave Hixon, has been the basketball head coach at Amherst College, since 1977,[20] winning the 2007 NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Tournament.[21]

He is a student at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b "Michael Hixon Diving". Team USA.
  2. ^ a b "Michael Hixon". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  3. ^ Lancaster, Marc (August 10, 2016). "Rio Olympics 2016: Sam Dorman, Michael Hixon take silver in synchronized diving". Sporting News.
  4. ^ Woods, David (July 28, 2015), "IU diver wins bronze in Swimming World Championships", Indy Star
  5. ^ a b Jason Remillard (August 23, 2010). "Amherst's Michael Hixon captures bronze medal in diving at Youth Olympic Games". The Republican. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d Bill Wells (March 27, 2010). "Amherst teenage diver puts 2016 Summer Games on radar". MassLive.com. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  7. ^ USA Diving (February 4, 2010). "Four divers earn the right to compete in Youth Olympic Games qualifier". Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  8. ^ USA Diving (September 2, 2010). "Team USA adds two more medals at FINA World Junior Diving Championships". Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  9. ^ "18th FINA Junior Diving World Championships Results". USA Diving. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  10. ^ USA Diving (March 14, 2010). "Hixon, Lenz headed to Youth Olympic Games after winning bronze at qualifier". Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  11. ^ a b Pedro Adreg. "YOG Singapore 2010, Day 9: Bo Qiu earns second gold for China, Tom Daley (GBR) finishes ninth". FINA. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  12. ^ Lisa Ramsperger (August 22, 2010). "Bronze for Hixon". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  13. ^ Tan Yo-Hinn (August 23, 2010). "Qiu Bo lights up Toa Payoh". TODAYonline. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  14. ^ Beth Harris, Hixon wins 1-meter title at US diving nationals, Associated Press via Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 12, 2011
  15. ^ Lutz, Rachel (June 25, 2016). "Ipsen, Hixon grab springboard spots; Dumais misses making fifth Olympics". NBC Olympics.
  16. ^ Marot, Michael (June 23, 2016). "Amherst native Michael Hixon teams with Samuel Dorman to qualify for Rio in men's 3M synchro". Daily Hampshire Gazette.
  17. ^ The Associated Press. "Rio Olympics: USA's Sam Dorman, Mike Hixon win silver in synchornized 3-meter". Newsday.
  18. ^ Almond, Elliott (August 16, 2016). "Olympics: Stanford's Kristian Ipsen fifth in diving". Mercury News.
  19. ^ USA Diving (August 31, 2010). "FINA World Junior Diving Championships set for September 1–6". Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  20. ^ "Staff | Amherst College". Amherst College. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  21. ^ "Coaching Staff | Amherst College". Amherst College. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  22. ^ "Men's Swimming and Diving: Michael Hixon". IU Athletics.
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