Name: John Orozco
Country: USA
Sport: Gymnastics
Age: 19
Why He’s a Gold Medal Hottie: Being a male gymnast on its own has its connotations, but being a male gymnast in the Bronx is even harder. But that’s one part of John Orozco’s story about perseverance: “I got a lot of (teasing) from kids, but I didn’t care. I was doing what I loved, so no one could tell me that I was doing something wrong,” he says. There’s also the part about giving away his first paycheck to his financially struggling family. Oh, and tearing his Achilles tendon at Nationals in 2010, coming back stronger than ever the following year to grab third place at the same event in 2011, and then making the Olympic team in 2012. So the fact that he’s known amongst his teammates as the “silent ninja” for his subtle, unexpected tricks that put him way ahead of the game is fitting: he’s right behind you, gaining on your lowest expectations and trumping them with yet another win.