By Sam Kilgore
Photo by John Cheng

In the gym, he's the 2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver medalist, the 2009 U.S. champion, a hard working competitor, and a looked-to leader in men's gymnastics.

Out of the gym, Jonathan Horton is much different.

"I'm a pretty chilled out, relaxed guy. Much, much different than in the gym," said Horton. "I like to stay calm, and just spend time with my wife and my dogs."

He plays golf, watches movies – especially the big hero type – he's a self proclaimed video game nerd and pet lover. In short, when he's not training, he's just your average Joe.

"I'm a regular old guy who does things that most people don't realize," said Horton. "I like to take care of my house, decorate, do my lawn and make sure it looks really nice."

Since getting married seven months ago to his college sweetheart Haley, who was also a collegiate gymnast at Oklahoma, Horton says his life is great.

"Married life for me has been so much easier than anything else in life I've ever done," raved Horton. "Now I have a partner to help me."

When he's not training or spending time with his wife, he's still involved in gymnastics as a coach at his gym, Cypress Academy.

"I coach four hours a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays," explained Horton. "Before World Championships, I was coaching almost 20 hours a week, but that burned me out."

Horton did not perform up to his expectations at the 2009 World Gymnastics Championships in London, where he made the all-around and event finals but did not medal.

"I didn't really have the type of performance you'd want (in London)," said Horton. "It was kind of a disaster for me, but every athlete goes through that. You have a huge peak with success and then you have to work your way back up. I kind of feel like that's what happened to me at Worlds, and I'm on my way back up now. So this year has kind of been my rebuilding phase."

Horton hopes to remedy that as he competes at the 2010 Tyson American Cup in Worcester, Mass., his first international competition since Worlds.

"I'm really looking forward to the Tyson American Cup," said Horton. "I get another shot at some of the top all-arounders from World Championships. It's great to have the best gymnasts come to the U.S., and it gives me a chance to say ‘Hey, I'm still here and this thing at Worlds was kind of a fluke.' It's a very prestigious event, and we'll see what can happen."