Jake Dalton, the retired two-time U.S. Olympic gymnast and four-time World medalist, is open about his Christian faith and how it has guided his athletic career. Rather than making overt public gestures after every performance, Dalton displays his spirituality through daily practices, jewelry, and prominent tattoos.
He has two major religious tattoos: praying hands on his right side and the New Testament verse Philippians 4:13 ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me") on his left side, which he had etched before the 2012 Olympic trials.
Faith Over Fear in Competition
Dalton has frequently spoken about using his faith to combat the intense anxiety and physical dangers of elite gymnastics:
Daily Prayer:
He incorporates prayer directly into his training sessions. Because gymnastics moves can be highly dangerous, he relies on prayer to calm his nerves and help him trust his training.
Overcoming Injury:
Following a major shoulder surgery that threatened his path to the 2016 Olympic Games, Dalton credited his spiritual routine with giving him the mental fortitude to push through a grueling recovery.
Church Community:
While a demanding travel and training schedule historically made it difficult to attend church in person, he and his wife, Kayla, have shared their faith online and have been involved with JourneyChurch—an Evangelical Covenant congregation in Norman, Oklahoma.
