The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 13 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Junior Landen Blixt was named an All-American on floor exercise in both 2023 and 2024, and he also was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in both years. Blixt won the Big Ten floor exercise championship in 2024 and was recognized as a Gymnast to Watch in the conference heading into this season. Here are some things about Blixt that you may not have known: Best Aspect Of Being From Fowl- erville, Mich.: "When I go home, it's a nice nostalgia moment. I really can slow down there, because Ann Arbor is so busy with school and gymnastics. Where my family lives is secluded; there are farm fields all around. It's quiet and calming." Favorite Restaurant In Ann Ar- bor: "Bigalora, an Italian restaurant. It's so good." Best Meal He Can Cook By Him- self: "Sushi. My teammates and I pre- pared it as a fun dinner. It's pretty hard to roll sushi really well, and I was pretty proud of myself after that. It was pretty good." Favorite Professional Athlete: "I really like the Serena and Venus Wil- liams story. When I watched the movie, I liked how [father] Richard [Williams] created a whole tennis empire in their family." Sport He Enjoys Besides Gym- nastics: "Beach volleyball. It's so fun, especially with my old teammates at my club gym and my teammates now." Favorite Movie: "The James Cam- eron 'Avatar,' the first one. It's a brilliant and beautiful movie. It just looks really nice." Favorite TV Show: "I'm more of a movie guy. I would say 'Love Island,' only because it was something our team watched together. In the summer, we sat down and watched it. I like it be- cause we hung out to watch it." Why He Chose Michigan: "It was the team. When I came here, even be- fore my visit, I knew a lot of guys on the team. Some guys were from my club gym and also from my region. I gravi- tated toward feeling like I was already part of the team before I even joined. Then add on the academics and that I'm close to my home." What He Hopes To Do After Michigan: "One of my biggest goals is to make the Olympic team for 2028. I'm pushing full force to make that team. After that, I want to go to grad school for architecture." Favorite Memory At Michigan: "My first Big Tens in 2023. When you win Big Tens, you see the team and all the captains, and what they had you follow, and the coaches and all their plans perfectly laying out. It's really nice to say, 'I was part of that process.' It was an aha moment." Overall Experience At Michigan: "I'm going to have a family and broth- ers beyond gymnastics, going into my whole life. They will be doctors, law- yers and successful businessmen after gymnastics. "You really get to see the culture that is created here. We call it becoming a 'Michigan Man,' which is you transform into a respectful person." — Clayton Sayfie Blixt is a member of the United States Senior National Team, having placed 15th in the all-around at the 2024 U.S. Championships with a 159.350 score. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ❱ Getting To Know Men's Gymnastics Junior Landen Blixt