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University of Michigan alum hopes to finish out career with Olympic medal

Sam Mikulak to compete in third Olympics

Sam Mikulak competes on the parallel bars during the men's U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials Thursday, June 24, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (Jeff Roberson, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The goal of winning an Olympic medal is the one thing that’s keeping gymnast Sam Mikulak from retiring.

Mikulak will go down in history as a talented athlete, but an Olympic medal has eluded him so far. He is a World bronze medalist but he would love to finish out his career with an Olympic medal.

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Mikulak gave it his all at the Olympic trials and earned a spot as his third Olympic Games.

He has earned plenty of national titles but is still working for an Olympic medal.

“My goal that I wasn’t able to accomplish in my first two Olympics was to get an Olympic medal. Honestly, in any apparatus or all around or team. Any of it would work for me,” Mikulak said.

It’s a goal he missed in London and then again in Rio. His University of Michigan coach thinks the Tokyo Games could be different.

“He’s very good. He could win. We can win a medal in multiple events,” coach Kurt Golder said.

Golder is the head coach for men’s gymnastics at the University of Michigan. He has worked closely with Mikulak.

“My body isn’t quite as up-to-par as it was in my prime days so that’s going to be the biggest challenge going forward,” Mikulak said.

Mikulak has overcome adversity before. He broke both his ankles a year before the 2012 games. He is committed to competing and has his goal in sight.

“It’s the Olympic dream. It’s the chance for a medal and finally just ticking that off my bucket list,’ Mikulak said.

No matter what happens, Mikulak said this is his last Olympics. When he retires he plans to open a gym and pass on what he has learned to the next generation of gymnasts.




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You can watch Kimberly Gill weekdays anchoring Local 4 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and streaming live at 10 p.m. on Local 4+. She's an award-winning journalist who finally called Detroit home in 2014. Kim has won Regional Emmy Awards, and was part of the team that won the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast in 2022.

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Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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