TOKYO, Japan – Michael Hixon will return home triumphant after winning the silver medal with his diving partner Andrew Capobianco on Wednesday in the synchronized three-meter springboard diving in Tokyo.
A graduate assistant diving coach at the University of Michigan, Hixon is currently pursuing an MBA at U-M’s Ross School of Business.
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According to NBC News, Hixon pushed for a coaching position so he could access U-M’s pool during the pandemic. The network also said he hadn’t told his new roommates in Ann Arbor that he was an Olympic diver.
This isn’t his first Olympic games -- in 2016, Hixon also won the silver medal in the same event with diving partner Sam Dorman.
Hixon was coached by U-M’s head diving coach Mike Hilde, who was seen cheering on the duo on the sidelines at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Wednesday.
After a slow start, Hixon and Capobianco pushed through the finals with consistently strong dives, earning a 444.36 total. Gold medalists from China, Siyi Xie and Zongyuan Wang scored 476.82 while bronze medalists Lars Rudiger and Patrick Hausding of Germany finished with 404.73.
Collegiately, Hixon competed at Indiana and Texas.