SEMINOLE, Fla. — One Tampa-area kid has five Junior Olympics gold medals, several championships, and experience all over the world -- it's all thanks to his love of martial art Taekwondo.
- Jacob Cuesta started practicing Taekwondo at two years old
- Cuesta is disciplined and focused
- Cuesta is a five time junior Olympics gold medalist
“We had a dobok, the uniform we wear, we had to take it to a seamstress to have it from the smallest size that was available, cut down to fit him,” said John Cuesta, Jacob Cuesta's grandfather.
Jacob is only 8 years old, but if you watch him work, you’ll see he’s got discipline well beyond his years.
“In the morning, I weigh myself first, and then I go stretch, and then when I’m all done stretching, I do my forms a couple of times. And then I run on the treadmill for about two miles,” Jacob said.
That’s all before he heads to school for the day.
He started practicing Taekwondo, a Korean martial art, at just 2 years old and earned his black belt by age 6.
Now at 8, he’s a five-time junior Olympics gold medalist.
“I’m so proud of him. He really does work hard, and most people don’t see that,” John Cuesta said.
Taekwondo has become their bond, perhaps because his grandfather is his biggest supporter, or perhaps it’s because when he sees Jacob, he sees himself.
“I had a Taekwondo background as a teen, but when he started in Taekwondo, I started back as a white belt, and we went through the color belts together,” said Cuesta.
But Taekwondo isn’t the only thing they have in common -- both say their life mission is to serve the public.
For Cuesta, that was a career in law enforcement, and Jacob hopes to one day join the U.S. Navy.
So if you ask him, it’s never too early for a jump start.