SAN ANGELO, Texas — San Angelo is home to approximately 100,000 people but they have one young man who stands out in a crowd of six figures.
Seth Saldivar returned to his hometown late last week after taking a much-needed victory vacation. The 10-year-old came out on top in the AAU Junior Olympics Championships shotput competition with a throw of 33'10. This marks his third straight gold medal in the competition, a goal he did not expect when he first competed.
"I am feeling amazing. It is just...it is a blessing to have this gift. It is just crazy because it was like, the first year we were like, okay, at least you made it here. So good job. And then we won. We were like, really? Now it is the third time [in a row] and it just feels so professional now," Saldivar said.
At 10 years old, you typically do not have concerns about your legacy or accomplishing goals that are bigger than yourself. Yet, that is not the case for Seth. He is as present at this moment as he can be, grateful for the support of his community that helped him attend the competition in Iowa.
"Thank you [the San Angelo community] for donating to us. Just thank you all for the support, I brought it home this year," Saldivar said.
As for what he hopes to accomplish next, Saldivar's focus will be good grades with the upcoming school year. That will not be all, as he plans to compete again in next year's Junior Olympics with hopes of going four-for-four in the shotput competition.
"It [winning again] does feel sweeter. It is like, okay, so the second time was awesome, but a third time. That is even better. I mean, I am just hoping to do it for a fourth time, next year." Saldivar said.
To follow along Seth's journey, you can subscribe to his family's YouTube page where they post vlogs about his young shotput career.