Photo By Roland Leach | DJ Smith, son of David A. Smith, a customer support technician in the Materiel...... read more read more
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ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- If you’ve been following the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, or 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one young man who competed in the men’s high jump track and field event has a Robins connection.
DJ Smith, 24, realized his Olympic dreams this past Sunday as a member of the national team from Puerto Rico. He was representing Puerto Rico in honor of his late grandfather, Francisco Rivera Sanchez, a Vietnam War veteran who passed away two years ago.
His proud father, David Smith, is a customer support technician in the Materiel Management Division at DLA Aviation on base. He said his son, while still in high school, confided in him that one day he was going to be in the Olympics.
“It’s ridiculous. He’s always been active and running all over the place,” said the elder Smith. “He has energy for days!”
“He trains year-round,” Smith added. “He’s motivated. It’s just something he does. Knowing him like I do, if he says he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it. It’s not a surprise he did and made it.”
The road to Rio didn’t happen overnight, but began for the younger Smith when he was a high jumper in middle school here in Houston County. Track was something he did to stay in shape, winning a county championship his first year in the high jump.
“He was pretty fast and had pretty good agility,” recalled his father.
Once in high school, transferring to Lovejoy High south of Atlanta, he participated in track his freshman year. As a three-sport athlete, also participating in football and basketball, once basketball season was over he tried track again.
He made it to regionals then as well as the state finals for high jump. He participated again his sophomore year when he won the state finals, clearing seven feet, according to dad. His senior year he broke his school’s record, jumping 7-feet-four inches.
He’d later earn an athletic scholarship to Auburn University, where he again excelled in various NCAA championships. At 24 years old and standing at 6 feet 4 inches tall today, as an Auburn Tiger, in 2015 he won the SEC Championship in the high jump; and placed fourth in the high jump to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
His other accolades included: 2015 Indoor All-SEC First Team, 2014 Outdoor All-American (high jump), 2014 all-SEC Second Team, 2013 Outdoor All-SEC Champion (high jump) and 2013 All-SEC First Team.
Training all year long with one goal in mind to make it to the Olympics, his dream came true this past Sunday when he showcased his talents in front of a worldwide audience.
Although Smith cleared the same height as his competitors, he had a few misses, and did not advance in order to earn a medal.
Speaking with his son after the event, the elder Smith said his son wasn’t happy about it, but to have made it as far as he did was an incredible feat.
“This is only the beginning for him. In four more he said he’s going back – and will medal next time,” said his father.
On advice he shared with this son before last weekend’s competition, his dad explained that to have made it this far, to be among the top athletes in the world was something truly special.
“I’ve told him to take it as a blessing, and to enjoy everything that it had to offer,” he said. “Be an encouragement for others and share that if you work hard enough and do what you’re supposed to do, you can achieve anything."
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2016 08:17 |
| Story ID: | 207691 |
| Location: | ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 143 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Road to Rio: DLA Aviation employee’s son competes in Olympics, by Jenny Gordon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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