Getting To Know Gabriel Castillo

This edition of "Getting to Know" features freshman distance runner Gabriel Castillo. He discusses his reasons for coming to USC while mentioning his everlasting passion for soccer.

Q: Why did you choose to come to USC?

G.C.: I came here because it has a really good track program, and it's really beneficial to me for my education. It's a really good school.

Q: What events will you be running in the spring?

G.C.: As of now, I'm running the 800m, the 1500m, and the 5K.

Q: You went to school in Rancho Cucamonga and you were born in Pomona. Was the proximity to home a reason why you chose USC?

G.C.: Yes. I wanted to be as close to my family as possible, and I didn't want to go out far.

Q: What is your favorite part about being a student-athlete here?

G.C.: Going around and having pride with who I am. It's a really cool experience being a student athlete and trying to get my priorities straight and my education too.

Q: Do you have any personal goals or milestones that you want to achieve this season?

G.C.: The big thing is keeping a 3.5 GPA in the classroom. On the track, I am trying to hit 3:45 for the 1500m. For the 800m, I want to go sub 1:50. And for the 5K, I aim to go sub 14:30.

Q: What made you start competing in distance events? Was it someone that motivated you to start doing it, or was it nothing that came up?

G.C.: It started my sophomore year where I just wanted to, I just ended a bad season with soccer and I wanted to prove myself that I was more than a bench player, and so I switched over to track, because my dad did it for a long time.

Q: Going back to soccer, what about that really excites you?

G.C.: Just being on the field, it was really fun having your teammates by you and just playing. It was a very big passion of mine as a young kid and it was really something big to me. And growing up, I always wanted to be involved with soccer.

Q: You say that Cristiano Ronaldo is your sports idol? Why?

G.C.: I love his motivation and how he just works hard every single day. He has no excuses, and he just goes out there and puts in the work.

Q: You are a Biomedical Engineering major here at USC. Why did he choose that?

G.C.: I chose that because my dad is a biomedical engineer too, and I wanted to follow his footsteps and exceed.

Q: What do you see yourself doing post-graduation?

G.C.: I really want to go to the Olympics and be a professional athlete. That's what I see myself as.

Q: Do you have a go-to spot here in L.A. or in SoCal?

G.C.: I like going to Malibu, the beach side, downtown, or Little Tokyo.

Q: Do you have an ideal vacation destination?

G.C.: Spain. Spain's really nice.

Q: If you didn't do distance events, what event would you like to do here at USC? What would you have wanted to do?

G.C.: Probably pole vaulting or high jump. That'd be cool, or doing the 100m dash, too.

Q: What type of music do you listen to?

G.C.: I like to listen to pop, punk or rap. Just like something fast to get me going.

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