Horton was loud, proud
He prods mates to bronze medal
BEIJING - Though his slight Texas twang sounded unusually scratchy, Jonathan Horton continued to talk. Why stop now? From the moment the US men's gymnastics squad started the team finals to the flurry of press appointments that followed a surprising bronze medal, Horton was front and center, a vocal leader. He exhorted his teammates during the competition. He extolled them afterward.
With his spiky brown hair, and muscle-packed 5-foot-1-inch frame, Horton is the personification of nonstop high energy. He describes himself as "off the wall." It shows in his leadership and explosive gymnastics. Yet, the only time the hoarse, emotional Horton quieted down was when performing five of the best routines of his career.
While the US secured bronze in yesterday's team finals with clutch performances by replacement gymnasts Alexander Artemev and Raj Bhavsar and routines by other team members on apparatuses outside their specialties, Horton's near-flawless execution in multiple disciplines put the US in medal contention in the first place. He was the Americans' high scorer on four of the five apparatuses he contested. If Horton can string together six strong routines in the men's all-around tomorrow night, he has a chance to reach the medal podium again.
"I'm glad that this team gave me an opportunity to be a leader, to go out there and perform the way I did," said the 22-year-old Horton. "But the job's not over yet. There's still more gymnastics to be done. I'm going into the all-around very confident with my gymnastics right now.
"I'm already losing my voice from screaming so much, but I'm going to try and rest and fight the fatigue from this competition. The all-around is important to me and I feel if I have an incredible competition, I can be one of the top guys."
The way Horton looked in the team finals, no one should doubt his potential the way the US team was doubted. The late withdrawal of Paul and Morgan Hamm left most wondering whether the US even would make the team final without any experienced Olympians, though a Hamm-less squad placed fourth at the 2007 World Championships.
The Hamm brothers pushed US men's gymnastics to new levels. Now, Horton is viewed as the successor to 2004 all-around gold medalist Paul Hamm. He appeared to handle the responsibility well during team finals.
When Horton stuck his landing on a handspring double front vault, he injected confidence into the rest of the squad. When he did the same on the horizontal bar, he had his teammates convinced a medal was within reach. When Justin Spring followed suit with another perfect landing on his horizontal bar dismount, Horton, not surprisingly, huddled the US squad for a vocal-chord-straining pep talk.
"He was absolutely amazing," said US coach Kevin Mazeika. "He's got that fiery leadership about him and went out there and had amazing performances."
In his pep talk, Horton reminded teammates of a popular team motto: "No fear, no regrets."
It is exactly how Horton approaches his own gymnastics. He is considering adding an extra skill to his all-around high bar routine to significantly raise the start value. The extra move would make him more competitive with the world's best.
"I'm putting a little bit of pressure on myself," said Horton. "Last year [at World Championships], I didn't think I had any chance at any kind of all-around medal. But I went out there and had a great competition and I came really close. There are a lot of great all-around competitors, guys that are doing some amazing gymnastics. But in all-around competition, you never know what can happen."
Man with the moves
Before Horton competed at the 2007 Worlds in Stuttgart, Germany, he received a less-than-inspiring pep talk from his mother Margo. She said, "Honey, I just want you to go out there and have a great day. You never know what can happen." Although Horton knew his mother had the best of intentions, he replied, "I'm going to be on the podium."While he finished two-tenths of a point behind bronze medalist Hisashi Mitzutori of Japan, Horton made his parents believers. Before Horton departed for Beijing, his mother said, "You go out there and get that medal." He also made himself a true believer.
"I talk the talk," said Horton. "But last year I believed it after I walked the walk. I went out there. I competed great. I was two-tenths away and it fired me up for next year."
To medal in the all-around competition, Horton cannot afford a major mistake on any of the six apparatuses, whether it's his strongest (high bar) or his weakest (pommel horse). He may not have all the difficulty of favorite Yang Wei of China or medal contender Fabian Hambuchen of Germany, but if he follows the "no fear, no regrets" approach, US fans at the National Indoor Stadium may be in for a nerve-racking experience.
On horizontal bar, Horton thrills with extreme height on linked releases moves. But his risk-taking approach sometimes has come at a cost, producing disastrous falls in major competitions and leading some pundits to label him inconsistent. In recent competitions and training sessions, however, Horton has performed with newfound steadiness.
"I've really only had trouble on one event all year and that was high bar," said Horton. "It's funny because a lot of people would talk and say, 'Horton's not consistent right now. He can't get the job done.' I read stuff and I'm like, 'It's just one event, people. Come on.'
"I figured out some different techniques to get through my routine. I had to adjust a lot of skills. I haven't missed a high bar routine since a couple weeks after trials. I've been on fire with it.
"I'm really comfortable up on the bar. I used to get really nervous. Now, I just let it go, let it rip, and have fun with it."
In addition to a possible all-around medal, Horton will not rule out an individual medal on the high bar. If he adds an extra move to his routine and it works to his advantage, he will at least walk away with no regrets. If the extra move leads to a mistake, Horton said he "might throw a crazy dismount just for the crowd."
Why not enjoy the moment?
Although nothing is certain in the injury-riddled world of gymnastics, Horton plans to compete at the 2012 London Olympics, where he would have more chances for more medals with valuable experience behind him.
Moment of disbelief
When Horton checked his phone after the team finals, he had more than 50 text messages and roughly 80 voice mails. Shocked by the response, Horton joked, "I don't even know 80 people."
A lot of the messages were from people he hadn't spoken to in a long time, and he "can't even imagine what we've got going on Facebook right now."
In a sport that gets little notice between Summer Games, the recognition was a reward in itself. After all, it has been a trying Olympic whirlwind for everyone on the team.
"The emotions that went through my mind [collecting the bronze] was all that we've been through this past week, all the training I've had since I've been 4 years old," said Horton. "It's hard to explain a moment like that.
"I think I can speak for the whole team that when we were up there just smiling, you almost start to draw a blank in your head by just looking around. All you can think is, 'Wow.' That's it. 'Did this really just happen?' We all did something great today and I can't talk up my team enough right now.
"I'm so proud of them and we made history."
Horton has come a long way from the hyperactive Houston kid who climbed poles at Target and rode up and down on the garage door as a toddler. He is a central part of a promising new era in US men's gymnastics. Before the Beijing Olympics end, Horton is hoping for more history. And something more to talk about.
Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com 