Even At 27, Gymnast Sam Mikulak Is Still Making Strides On His Path To Third Olympics

In a sport where most elite careers last one or maybe two Olympic quads, Mikulak is closing in on a third, which would make him the first U.S. male gymnast to span nine or more years among Olympic appearances since 1948.

Even as his teammates from the 2012 and 2016 Olympic teams have moved on, Mikulak believes he’s still getting better, both physically and mentally.

"It’s been a roller coaster, that’s for sure,’’ said Mikulak, a psychology major, who broke through for his first individual medal at the world championships in 2018, when he took bronze on the high bar. “I had so many different moments where I’ve been disappointed and beaten down. I’ve doubted myself, and there were so many times where I won a championship and was so close to getting a medal and all of a sudden I would choke on the final event. The hardest part is coming to terms with your failure and trying to learn from it. That’s been the biggest focus mentally in terms of coming back from a disappointment. Now I have this mindset where every mistake I’ve made, I know I’m not going to make it again."

Mikulak has also used the unexpected break from competition this summer to focus on other areas, both in training and in life.

Earlier this July, he got engaged with Mia Atkins, a broadcaster for FOX21 in Colorado, while on a trip to Catalina Island off the California coast. They had been dating for about 3 ½ years.

"I always thought I would propose at the Olympic Games or something,’’ Mikulak said. “Obviously, COVID-19 got in the way. It’s really been a downer of 2020 for a lot of people and athletes."

He’s also been using this time to learn more about nutrition. The gymnast said he and Atkins switched to gluten- and dairy-free diets, and as a result he’s dropped from 143 pounds to just 138 now.

"So that’s been like a big transition, and focusing on my diet and holding onto my weight and not gaining the quarantine,” he said. “So I’ve been pretty good about that."

He also is working with supplement brand Optimum Nutrition. 

"During this quarantine, I’ve gotten so much time to really dive into the science of nutrition," he said. “I have really gotten a chance to try a lot more of their products and I’ve gotten a little bit obsessed with it, but I think that’s kind of the athletics, gymnastics mentality. Just go in and have a 100 percent commitment to it. I focus so much on my macros, making sure that I get all my intact at the right time. I’m obsessed with this pre-workout amino energy plus drink."

The end goal, of course, is to be back in top form in one year, when the rescheduled Tokyo Games will be kicking off. With some aspects of life and training starting to settle into place, Mikulak said he feels confident about the year ahead.

"Now that I’m here and we’re about to start training, I feel I have so much less stress mentally,’’ he said. “Going into this next year of training, it will really be a good time for me to focus and dive in to gymnastics for the rest of the year."