It’s not every day a kid goes from video games to the Olympic Games, but Trenton Cowles is aiming to do just that.

“This is my calling,” he says.

When he was 9 years old, he started playing archery on his Nintendo Wii, and eventually asked his dad to help him build his own bow. He was hooked.  

“I like the challenge and the consistency,” he explains. “And just the drive to always be the best.”

He is the best. In the world, actually. Last October the 16-year-old scored big at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, winning the gold medal in the individual competition. It was a huge moment for him and for his grandmother, Julia Fonseca.

“Oh my God, that is the most wonderful thing that happened in my life,” she says.

Cowles’ grandparents spend just about as much time as he does at the Woodley Park Archery Range. With four younger siblings, his parents said he could devote himself to this sport if he could convince his grandparents to drive him to practice, so he did.

“Every single night,” Fonseca explains. “From Monday through Friday we’re here from 6 to 8 or 10 o’clock at night.”

When he’s not at the range, Cowles is hitting the books at Taft Charter High School, where he is in multiple AP classes and has a GPA above 4.0. So did the kids treat him like a celebrity when he brought home the gold?  

“Nope,” he says, readying a shot.  “I try to keep my school and my archery separate so I can keep my attention focus on each one so I can do the best that I can do.”  

Focus is the key to success for Cowles.

“You need to be on your game the whole time,” he explains. “There is no days off.”

With a gold medal in his pocket, he’s now set his sights on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. He’d be one of the youngest archers in the Summer Olympics, but he believes his talent, his love of the sport and his dedication will ultimately land him a spot on TEAM USA and maybe even the podium.

“I hope I will and if I shoot how I’ve been shooting as I know I can I definitely have a great shot of going,” he says. “Put in the work. Put in the dedication. You can get whatever you want.”