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Olympic Rugby Player Madison Hughes: 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me (I Actually Like Shakespeare)

Madison Hughes
Madison Hughes

At the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next month, rugby will return to the Games for the first time since 1924. Before the sport makes its official return, the captain of the US team, Madison Hughes, shared 25 fascinating facts about himself exclusively with Us Weekly.

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1. I have four protein shakes a day.

2. I like relaxing in a hot bubble bath every now and then.

3. I’m a huge Boston sports fan. I love watching the Red Sox and Patriots games.

4. My favorite place is our family home on a small pond in Massachusetts.

5. I had my appendix removed when I was 8 years old.

6. My dad took me to my first Chelsea game when I was 4 months old. I love soccer and I’m still a big fan.

7. I started playing international rugby when I was still in college. I had to take an exam the same day I played three games in a tournament in Australia.

8. I went to college in New Hampshire but somehow managed to avoid the snow. I spent every winter training in San Diego.

9. Since the age of 3 I wanted to be a professional athlete. My mom always told me I had to have a backup plan, though.

10. I try not to, but I bite my nails!

Related: PHOTOS: Olympic Athletes Turned TV and Movie Stars

11. I might be a bit competitive

12. I love to travel, and rugby has taken me all over the world. So far I’ve competed in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Canada, England, Scotland, Hong Kong, UAE, Georgia (the country) and Ireland.

13. I have a serious sweet tooth. I can’t resist gummy bears or Butterfingers.

14. I love to ski, although my rugby career has put it on hold for a while. I’m kind of a daredevil and my coaches are worried I’ll injure myself.

15. I’ve studied five languages: French, Spanish, German, Ancient Greek and Latin. However, I’m no longer very good at any of them.

16. I like to claim I’ve never been sunburnt. My family would beg to differ.

17. I’m a certified scuba diver.

18. I’m a serious history buff. I’ve been listening to a podcast on Eighth century British history in the car every day.

19. Unlike most of my friends, I actually like Shakespeare. The last play I saw was Henry IV, Part 1.

20. I make up ridiculous ball games to play with my family. Our favorite is called Bucketball.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrities Dating Athletes

21. I am a romantic and I like to buy flowers, cook romantic dinners and plan getaways with my girlfriend when I can.

22. When I was in kindergarten in England, I played Uncle Sam for a school play and broke out an expert rendition of Yankee Doodle Dandy.

23. My middle name is John. My parents wanted to make sure I had a good backup in case I didn’t like Madison.

24. At my last checkup my dentist told me I had to cut back on my fruit intake. I sometimes think I might be addicted to smoothies.

25. I bring home stuffed animals from every tournament for my girlfriend.

The Rio Olympics begin August 5 and will be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports app. The Rio Paralympics begin September 7 and will be streamed live on TeamUSA.org.

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