Dominic Rodriguez will compete in the shot put and discus competition at the games.
Plant City resident Dominic Rodriguez is on a quest for gold.
The 10-year-old will travel to Greensboro, NC the end of July to compete in the AAU Junior Olympics. He qualified to compete in the shot put and discus competitions, a feat because he’s only been throwing since February.
“I got him started because when I was at Chamberlain High School I did shot put and discus and I thought as big as he is he would be good at it,” said mom Amanda Rodriguez.
Standing 5’5” tall and weighing 175 pounds, he’s definitely larger than your average 10-year-old. He plays on a myriad of sports teams, including football and baseball. He just made the All-Star Team at Plant City Little League.
Mom enrolled him in Jus Ryde Track Club in Lakeland and found private throwing coach Andy Vince with Throws Coach Florida in Sarasota and he was off to the races as he quickly excelled in the sport. He medalled in his first competition even before he had any coaching, throwing the discus 11.37 meters and the shot put 7.18 meters. “It was just me watching YouTube videos trying to train him,” said Amanda Rodriguez.
With training, his distances have increased dramatically. In the AAU District Qualifier in Tampa in early June, he placed first in discus with a throw of 19.91 meters and second in shot put with a distance of 8.02 meters. At the AAU Regional 9 Qualifier in Orlando in mid-June, he placed first in discus with a throw of 25.65 meters and second in shot put with a throw of 8.75 meters.
Dominic enjoys track and field events because of their individual nature. “Everything I do and everything that happens is all on me,” he said. “Football and baseball are team sports but this is a single-handed person thing, with the help of my coach and parents. For me, I like to do things by myself.”
Dad Manny Rodriguez couldn’t be more proud of his son. “He works hard for it,” he said. Dominic Rodriguez said the trick to throwing the shot put as far as possible is by twisting your hips as fast as possible and throwing the ball high in the air. “It’s all about the form and getting your body moving with a smooth form,” he said.
His effort has yielded results. He has collected 15 medals (six gold, six silver and three bronze) in both events. He hopes to win a few more at the Junior Olympics. “My goal for discus is 27 meters and in shot put I’d like to hit 10 meters,” he said. “I’m definitely hoping to come home with trophies.”
His family has been watching the Olympic Trials. His shot put hero? American track and field athlete Joe Kovacs, who sent the shot put a whopping 22.43 meters at the 2024 US Olympic Trials. “I want to be like him one day,” said Dominic Rodriguez.
The AAU Junior Olympics shot put competition is July 30 at 3 p.m. and discus is August 3 at 8 a.m. The games will be broadcast on FloTrack, which can be streamed, cast or watched on TV.
