midnight snacc

Gymnast Josh Dixon keeps making us blush with his suave pics & chiseled bod

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From the time he was seven years old, Josh Dixon dreamed of making the U.S. Olympic team. The standout gymnast was well on his way, racking up awards at Stanford University and headlining national competitions.

But then he fell–literally.

In the penultimate event of the men’s gymnastics Olympic trials process, Dixon fell during his floor routine. At that point, he knew his Olympic dreams were dashed, he writes in the Washington Blade.

But as it turns out, that was just a new beginning.

Today, Dixon is a successful entrepreneur, investing in brands ranging from food and beverage (OLIPOP) to sports (Autograph). The California native is also an investor for the Chicago Red Stars, one of the eight original teams that formed the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

On top of that, Dixon is a popular influencer, boasting more than 232,000 followers on Instagram. He looks good in everything, whether he’s dressing for a chilly afternoon or warm summer day.

Dixon, 34, publicly came out as gay in 2012. At the time, he was gearing to become the first out gay male gymnast in U.S. Olympic history.

Fresh out of college, Dixon says he needed to come out so he could reach his full potential, both as an athlete and person.

“Coming out was necessary in accepting who I was and I couldn’t grow as a person, in and outside the sporting world, unless I did so,” he told Out Magazine. “It wasn’t really a question of where I was in my gymnastics career, it was more or less a decision to be a role model and to say, ‘You know, it’s okay to be yourself, and to be yourself in the sporting world.'”

Like many LGBTQ+ athletes, Dixon says he immediately noticed a difference in his performance once he could be himself.

“My veil had been lifted and simplicity was my best friend,” he writes in the Blade.

Following graduation, Dixon went all-in on his Olympic dreams. The two-time NCAA national champion won the U.S. floor exercise competition and four models at the Winter Cup from 2011-16 (three bronze and one silver).

But there were always physical challenges. Dixon suffered a ruptured Achilles leading into the 2012 Olympic trials, and suffered a major shoulder injury during the 2016 cycle.

He says the biggest lesson he learned from his years on the mat is the importance of perseverance.

“I can tell you, to exhaustion, what goes into preparing for the high stakes moments is not all fun and games,” he writes. “It is more than just train and compete. Every athlete can tell you, there’s a maturation process that occurs as one progresses.”

As an out gay man, Dixon says he never encountered homophobia or bias in his sport. But he knows that’s not the case for everybody.

Hence, the importance of visibility.

“I can only hope that having visible out athletes such as myself can only lead to somebody accepting themselves and seeing how much of a positive impact they can have on so many other people, let alone the newfound richness of his or her own life,” he said.

Though Dixon’s gymnastics career ended abruptly, he knew he was ready for his next chapter.

“Stepping away from an arena where one is constantly working to contribute, compete, have knowingness of worth has been interesting, but I know I’m well equipped for what’s next,” he said in 2017.

Over the last seven years, Dixon has proved himself right. He’s taken advantage of all the richness in his life, and we love watching him do it!

Related:

Heath Thorpe is going hard at his Olympic training

Thorpe hits the mat for hours each day in preparation for the Olympic qualifiers.

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