2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver-medalist Jonathan Horton of Houston visited the Worcester and Hartford areas to help promote the 2010 Tyson American Cup, scheduled for March 6 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., and the 2010 Visa Championships, slated for Aug. 11-14 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
Horton signed autographs and met with aspiring gymnasts at several gym clubs, including Next Dimension in Trumbull, Conn., Kinetic Kids Gymnastics in Oxford, Conn., Conn. Gymnastics Academy in Wallingford, Conn. He made an appearance at the DGS Northeast Invite as well as at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester. Horton, who will compete in both events, is the reigning U.S. all-around champion and a two-time Tyson American Cup champ. He was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men’s Team that won the team bronze medal in Beijing, as well as the silver medal for the horizontal bar.
The Tyson American Cup, one of the most prestigious all-around international invitationals, features some of the world’s top gymnasts in an all-around format. The U.S. athletes who have already accepted invitations to compete are 2009 world all-around silver-medalist Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas; 2009 U.S. all-around silver-medalist Tim McNeill of Falls Church, Va.; and Horton. The remaining U.S. woman and the international field will be announced in the near future. On sale now, ticket prices range from $35-125. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; through participating gym clubs; or at the DCU Center Ticket Office. Visa is the preferred method of payment. For more information, go to www.tysonamericancup.com.
About Jonathan Horton
Horton helped the U.S. men win the Olympic team bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and brought home the silver medal on horizontal bar. He is the reigning U.S. all-around champion, a title he won at the 2009 Visa Championships. A three-time team captain at the University of Oklahoma, Horton’s collegiate accomplishments include: 2006 NCAA all-around champion; and Oklahoma records for career All-America honors (18) and career NCAA individual titles (six) – breaking marks previously held by two-time Olympic gold-medalist Bart Conner. Horton led the Sooners to three NCAA team titles (2005-06, 2008) and a second-place finish in 2007. In 2008, he was named USA Gymnastics’ Men’s Athlete of the Year and won the 2008 NCAA Nissen-Emery Award, given to the top male senior gymnast. In addition to training, Horton works as a coach at his gym, Cypress Academy