- Beacon, USA Gymnastic team’s 4-year-old golden retriever
- Beacon is on-call 15 hours a days to sooth stressed athletes
- Beacon the Olympics internet sensation
Beacon, a 4-year-old golden retriever, has been a key figure for Team USA’s Gymnastics team, serving as their therapy dog.
This “Goodest Boy” has accompanied Olympic stars such as Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera, helping to alleviate the mental health pressures they face.
Beacon’s owner, Tracey Callahan Molnar, a former gymnast, knows when a team member needs some puppy love. Beacon is always on-call, sometimes working 15-hour days, and intuitively senses and soothes stressed athletes.
Molnar explained that Beacon responds immediately to any team member in need, without requiring to see or hear them call his name. “He picks up on the stress and will pull to that person immediately,” she said. Despite often lying still, Beacon absorbs the stress, which can be exhausting. Petting Beacon, or even watching someone pet him, helps lower blood pressure and anxiety, while boosting serotonin and dopamine levels and reducing cortisol.
Beacon has become an internet sensation and the star therapy dog of the Olympics. Jill Geer, chief communications and marketing officer at USA Gymnastics, noted that while there are other therapy dogs, Beacon is the standout. “I joke that Beacon needs an agent because there are more requests for Beacon than just about any other athlete out there,” she added.
