Michael Hixon facts for kids
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| Born | July 16, 1994 Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  United States |
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| Event(s) | 3 meter springboard, 3 meter springboard synchro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Texas at Austin Indiana University Bloomington |
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Medal record
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Michael Hixon (born July 16, 1994) is an American diver. He has won two silver medals at the Summer Olympics. He earned his first silver medal with Sam Dorman in the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He won his second silver medal with Andrew Capobianco at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the same event.
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About Michael Hixon
Michael Hixon was born on July 16, 1994, in Amherst, Massachusetts. His parents are Mandy and David Hixon. He also has an older brother named Matthew.
Family and Early Interest in Diving
Michael's parents were both coaches in college sports. His dad coached men's basketball at Amherst College. His mom, Mandy, was a great diver in college. She helped Michael get interested in diving. He joined her at a diving practice when she was a coach at Amherst College.
Soon after, his mom became his personal diving coach. Michael started competing in diving events two years later. When he was younger, Michael also played basketball, football, and lacrosse. But in high school, he decided to focus only on diving.
Education and College Life
Michael graduated from Amherst Regional High School in 2013. He then went to the University of Texas in Austin. In 2014, he moved to Indiana University in Bloomington. He felt that Indiana University was a better fit for his diving goals.
In 2020, Michael started studying for his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. To train for the 2020 Summer Olympics during the COVID-19 pandemic, he became a volunteer assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team. This allowed him to use their swimming pool facilities.
Michael Hixon's Diving Journey
Michael Hixon began diving at a national level when he was 12 years old. He won the 1-meter competition at the national championships three years in a row. He is a six-time junior U.S. champion.
Early Achievements
In 2009, Michael won two bronze medals at the Junior Pan-American Diving Championships in Calgary. He won them in the 1-meter and 3-meter events.
In 2010, he teamed up with Kristian Ipsen. They won a silver medal at the FINA World Junior Diving Championships in Tucson, Arizona. This was in the 3-meter synchronized springboard event.
Youth Olympic Games
Michael qualified for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. He won a bronze medal in the 3-meter springboard event. This was at the first-ever Youth Olympics.
In the final round, Michael started in third place. After his last dive, he finished with a score of 554.65 points. He won the bronze medal, coming in behind divers from China and Ukraine.
Winning National and International Titles
In 2011, Michael won the senior men's 1-meter springboard title at the US National Championships.
In 2013, he won a silver medal in the 3-meter synchro event with Darian Schmidt. He also competed in his first senior international competition, the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona. He finished fifth in the men's 3-meter synchronized event with Troy Dumais.
In 2014, Michael won titles in both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events at the NCAA Division I men's swimming and diving championships.
In 2015, he won a bronze medal in the men's 1-meter dive at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan.
In 2016, Michael won the 1-meter springboard at the USA Diving Winter National Championship.
Olympic Success
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Michael Hixon represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. He competed in both the 3-meter synchronized and men's individual 3-meter springboard events. He teamed up with Sam Dorman for the 3-meter synchro event. They won the U.S. trials in their first competition together.
In the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard event, Michael and Sam won the silver medal. Their score was 450.21. They finished behind Great Britain and ahead of China. In the men's individual 3-meter springboard event, Michael finished 10th.
Road to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
In 2019, Michael and his new partner, Andrew Capobianco, competed at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships. They finished eighth in the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard event.
Michael knew their score wasn't high enough to automatically qualify for the Olympics. He kept training in 2020, even when many competitions were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael and Andrew were then chosen to represent the United States at the 2021 FINA Diving World Cup. They scored 414.18 points, placing fourth. This secured their spot at the Olympics.
2020 Tokyo Olympics
In June 2021, Michael and Andrew won the U.S. Olympics diving trials for the men's synchronized 3-meter springboard event.
At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Michael and Andrew won another silver medal. Their final score was 444.36. They finished second, behind China, and ahead of Germany. They started in fifth place after their first two dives. But after the next two dives, they moved into second place. Their fifth dive was their best, helping them secure the silver medal.
Personal Life
As of July 2021, Michael Hixon is in a relationship with Canadian swimmer Kennedy Goss.
