U.S. Men's Gymnastics: Everything to Know About the Team After Shocking Olympic Finish

Danell Leyva, John Orozco, Jake Dalton, Sam Mikulak and Jonathon Horton placed first in the qualifiers Saturday but failed to follow through Monday

By Rebecca Macatee Jul 30, 2012 8:12 PMTags
US Gymnastics Men's teamEzra Shaw/Getty Images

Want a man who's flexible, ripped and can back-flip on command? Look no further than the U.S. men's gymnastics team.

Despite qualifying Saturday with the highest team score, the guys came in a disappointing fifth place overall in Monday's finals. China won the No. 1  spot (they also took home gold in Beijing), Japan took silver and Great Britain won the bronze.

But let's get to know the handsome, limber powerhouses who still did great by the red, white and blue as far as we're concerned.

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Danell Leyva: The 20-year-old was the top individual scorer in the all-around competition Saturday. Monday, however, he had a slip on the pommel horse, doing some early damage to his scores and probably his confidence. According to his USA Gymnastics profile, the reigning world champion of the parallel bars enjoys playing and listening to music, painting, and drawing. His favorite foods are spaghetti and pizza. Both his parents are gymnasts turned coaches. His "mom's cousin once held the world record in holding his breath underwater."

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John Orozco: This Bronx-native isn't just famous at the gym: He's made his mark on Tinseltown, too! According to his team profile, the 19-year-old was "an extra in three episodes of Law and Order." He also appeared as himself in Gym Class Heroes' music video for "The Fighter."

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Jake Dalton: Sorry, ladies! This one's taken. The 20-year-old University of Oklahoma athlete is dating fellow collegiate gymnast, Kayla Nowak. (She gets a shout out in his Twitter bio.) Outside of gymnastics, Dalton enjoys  "Xbox, movies, music" and his favorite foods are "pizza [and] Top Raman."

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Sam Mikulak: This 19-year-old University of Michigan athlete sprained his ankle on the first night of Olympic trials, but he still competed in one event: Pommel horse. Although he withdrew from five other events, his one performance was enough for him to make the team. In addition to gymnastics, the California native is a fan of Family Guy and comparative literature.

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Jonathan Horton: The 26-year-old team captain won the silver metal at the 2008 Olympics for the horizontal bar. He married Haley De Prospero, a fellow gymnast, in 2009 and currently lives in Houston. Prior to Monday's competition, he told USA Today, "I think we showed people that we're not all talk. We have made a lot of big statements and we put a lot pressure and expectations on ourselves and I think we showed the world that we are capable of reaching this goal. All five of us have one thing in mind, this team gold medal."