Michael Hixon

Michael Hixon
Personal information
Born (1994-07-16) July 16, 1994[1]
Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.[2]
Height 170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Sport
Country  United States
Event(s) 3 meter springboard, 3 meter springboard synchro
Partner Kristian Ipsen
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's diving
World Championships
2015 Kazan 1 m springboard
Youth Olympic Games
2010 Singapore 3 m springboard
FINA World Junior Diving Championships
2010 Tucson 3 meter synchro

Michael Hixon (born July 16, 1994) is an American diver. He competed at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore, winning bronze in the 3 meter springboard event, and is a world junior silver medalist in the synchronized 3 meter springboard alongside partner Kristian Ipsen.

Family and personal life

Hixon was born in Amherst, Massachusetts.[2] Hixon's parents both coach in American collegiate sports; his mother Mandy Hixon, who is also his personal coach, is the diving coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and used to coach at Amherst College and Williams College,[3] while his father Dave Hixon has been the basketball head coach at Amherst College since 1977,[4] winning the 2007 NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Tournament.[5] *and 2011!!

Hixon studies at Amherst Regional High School.[6] Hixon's mother was also one of the United States' three coaches at the 2010 FINA Junior World Championships.[7]

Diving

Hixon began diving at age seven,[2] and started entering competitions two years later.[3] He began diving at the national level when he was 12 and has won the 1-meter competition at the national championships three years running.[3] Hixon is a six-time junior U.S. champion,[8] and won two bronze medals, in the 1 meter and 3 meter events, at the 2009 Junior Pan-American Diving Championships in Calgary.[3] He 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.[9] At that event, Hixon finished behind Qiu Bo of China and Oleksandr Bondar of Ukraine,[9] the same two divers who would go on to win gold and silver at the Youth Olympics.[6]

Hixon 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,[10] but only managed a tenth place finish in the 3 meter solo event.[11]

Hixon has stated that his aim is to qualify for and compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[3]

2010 Summer Youth Olympics

By finishing third at the Americas-region qualifying event in Mexico, Hixon qualified for the first-ever Youth Olympics in the 3 meter springboard event.

The event 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.[12] Although he was sixth after his first dive in the final[13] and fourth heading into his final dive, a poor dive by Italy's Giovanni Tocci allowed Hixon to claim bronze on his final dive,[12] finishing with a score of 554.65 points.[14]

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.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Athlete Biography: HIXON Michael". Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee. August 2010. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "Michael Hixon". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Bill Wells (March 27, 2010). "Amherst teenage diver puts 2016 Summer Games on radar". MassLive.com. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Staff | Amherst College". Amherst College. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Coaching Staff | Amherst College". Amherst College. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  6. 1 2 Jason Remillard (August 23, 2010). "Amherst's Michael Hixon captures bronze medal in diving at Youth Olympic Games". The Republican. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  7. ↑ USA Diving (August 31, 2010). "FINA World Junior Diving Championships set for September 1–6". Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  8. ↑ USA Diving (February 4, 2010). "Four divers earn the right to compete in Youth Olympic Games qualifier". Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  9. 1 2 USA Diving (March 14, 2010). "Hixon, Lenz headed to Youth Olympic Games after winning bronze at qualifier". Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  10. ↑ USA Diving (September 2, 2010). "Team USA adds two more medals at FINA World Junior Diving Championships". Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  11. ↑ "18th FINA Junior Diving World Championships Results". USA Diving. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Pedro Adreg. "YOG Singapore 2010, Day 9: Bo Qiu earns second gold for China, Tom Daley (GBR) finishes ninth". FINA. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  13. ↑ Lisa Ramsperger (August 22, 2010). "Bronze for Hixon". United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  14. ↑ Tan Yo-Hinn (August 23, 2010). "Qiu Bo lights up Toa Payoh". TODAYonline. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  15. ↑ Beth Harris, Hixon wins 1-meter title at US diving nationals, Associated Press via Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 12, 2011
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