Jon Horton retires

A terrific career.

Two-time Olympic medalist Jonathan Horton said Monday night he is retiring from competitive gymnastics but will remain involved in the sport in support of a proposed men’s national-caliber training center proposed by Cypress-area gym owner Aaron Basham.

Horton, a 31-year-old Houstonian who won two USA Gymnastics all-around titles during a decade-long run as one of the nation’s best male gymnasts, made his announcement after hosting a viewing party for his Monday night appearance on the NBC series “American Ninja Warrior.” …

NBC

coach Scott Hann MBE

Max Whitlock’s coach Scott Hann, from the South Essex Gym Club, has been made an MBE.

Vanessa Atler interview

Like pretty much everyone I was a big fan of Vanessa Atler in the dark days of late 1990s USA Gymnastics.

GymCastic posted an excellent, candid interview from some months ago. Vanessa volunteered to be interviewed, clearing up many questions we had about her career.

254: Vanessa Atler

She explains how she often did not know what her coaches, parents and manager were discussing.

If you don’t have time to listen, Dvora Meyers posted a summary with commentary — Former National Champion Speaks Out About USA Gymnastics’ Problems With Eating Disorders And Abuse.

Click PLAY or watch Vanessa’s 1999 Floor on YouTube.

interview with Max Whitlock

The temptation you wish you could resist… Trainers. I designed some when I was sponsored by Adidas and it became a passion. I have 80-100 pairs.

The piece of wisdom you would pass on to a child… Set yourself goals. My mother and father, Madeleine and Brian, taught me that.

The book that holds an everlasting resonance… Achieve The Impossible by Professor Greg Whyte. It teaches you how to achieve by setting targets and believing in yourself.

The priority activity if you were the Invisible Man for a day… Japan’s Kohei Uchimura is the greatest gymnast of all time, but he’s secretive, so I’d watch him train. …

Daily Fail 

I don’t often link to that rag. But this interview was too good to pass up.

A Canadian coach recently visited Japan and had a chance to see Kohei training alone. He’s being coached by a former teammate.

They keep the Gym temperature high as Kohei likes to train in a warm environment.

Shannon Miller inspires

Click PLAY or watch it on Twitter.

famous athletes – Simone & Aly

Who are the most famous athletes on the planet?

Ben Alamar, ESPN’s director of analytics, devised a formula that combines endorsements with social media following and internet search popularity to create the ESPN World Fame 100 rankings. …

ESPN

Simone

Aly

No MLB or NHL player made the list.

55,000 fans say goodbye to Fabian Hambüchen

Including Angela Merkel.

Eberhard Gienger entered the arena as a parachute jumper.

The 29-year-old won 40 international medals including Gold on H Bar in Rio.