Team USA’s Goodest Boy

A golden retriever named Beacon helps U.S. gymnasts when they’re feeling stress.

USA Gymnastics/John Chen

Gymnast and Olympic medalist Stephen Nedoroscik and Beacon, the therapy dog for the U.S. gymnastics team.

The U.S. gymnastics team had an amazing run at the 2024 Summer Olympics, winning team and individual medals. The gymnasts couldn’t have done it without support from families, coaches, and one very special dog named Beacon.

Beacon, a 4-year-old golden retriever, is the first official therapy dog for the U.S. gymnastics team. His job title is “Goodest Boy.” Gymnastics is a difficult sport, and gymnasts can sometimes feel stressed and worried about competitions. Beacon’s job is to be there for the athletes, whether they want to pet him, rub his belly, chat with him, or just hang out with him.

Beacon and his human, Tracey Callahan Molnar, attended the Olympic Gymnastic Trials earlier in 2024. This is the competition that decides who will compete in the Olympic Games.

USA Gymnastics/John Chen

Gymnast Joshua Karnes and Beacon share some love.

Unfortunately, some of the gymnasts were injured during the trials, which meant they wouldn’t be able to go to the Olympics. Beacon was there for them, as well as any other gymnast who wanted to spend time with him. Molnar says Beacon can tell when he’s needed.

“He picks up on the stress [a person is feeling] and will pull to that person immediately,” Molnar told ESPN.

USA Gymnastics/John Chen

Beacon played fetch with some kids during a break at a recent gymnastics competition.

Beacon won new fans in June 2024, after 2020 Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee posted a photo of herself with him on her Instagram account. He now has more than 50,000 followers on his own Instagram account. When new people meet Beacon, Molnar gives them the dog’s business card to help them get to know him. According to the card, Beacon enjoys swimming and hiking but dislikes celery.

Beacon wasn’t able to attend the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, this summer. But there’s no doubt he is an important part of the team!

Did You Know?

Experts say that just petting a dog can lower a person’s stress.

Four-Legged Athletes

A gold medal performance!

There’s no dog Olympics, but dogs that are particularly athletic sometimes take part in agility competitions. Agility is the ability to move quickly and easily.

In an agility competition, each dog needs to go through several obstacles (like ramps and poles) in a certain order. Dogs are guided by their humans, who hope they know where to go next as they move through the obstacles.

Here’s an example of the skills measured in an agility competition:

Jumping over bars
Running up and down ramps
Weaving between a series of poles
Climbing to the top of a seesaw and letting it go down before jumping off

Each dog’s score is based on things like time (faster is better) and errors, like bumping into obstacles.

Like humans, some dogs are better athletes than others. Do you know any athletic dogs?

A Golden Gymnast

With 37 World Championship and Olympic medals, Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast ever! You can learn more about Biles at Britannica.

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