As Luka Trevino (10) emerges from the water after completing the swimming phase of his triathlon, he swiftly prepares himself for his next challenge, the biking phase.  He is already a serious competitor in the 16-19 division at competitions, ranked highly on a local, state and national level. 

“Points wise, I’m first in San Diego, second in California and like 13th in the nation,” Trevino said. 

Trevino is currently on the varsity boys Cross Country team and the Rancho San Diego Boys and Girls Club team, competing at both international and national competitions.  While Trevino has been swimming for his whole life, his involvement in triathlons is more recent. 

“When middle school hit, I started doing cross country and track … I was like, maybe I’ll try [a] triathlon,” Trevino said. “So I tried one, my eighth grade year, just for fun … in ninth grade and now as a 10th grader, I really really started to enjoy them [and] started competing more”

Trevino’s dedication to the sport is not only evident in his results, but also in the countless hours of practice he puts in across all three sports, especially in swim and track.

“I train seven days a week … I have cross country Monday through Saturday, and then I swim Monday through Sunday with Saturday off,” Trevino said. “On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have double swim. So I get up before school, and I have to swim, then I have school, then I go to cross country and then go back and swim. 

On Wednesdays, Trevino does the opposite, running in the morning before school, and then running and swimming again after school. For the rest of the week, he has cross country after school, and then swims after cross country. While he doesn’t have as much time to hone his biking skills, he still makes it a point to practice when he can. 

“This summer I would just take a day or two to bike around the neighborhood,” Trevino said. “I just [try to] get my legs moving and keep getting used to the bike.” 

All of Tevino’s hard work is in the name of one day earning a gold medal in the Olympics for triathlon, a dream he’s had since he was eight years old. 

“[My goal] used to be more for swimming, but now that i’m doing more triathlons and seeing my ranking … It’s getting more real,” Trevino said. “I can see myself competing on these big stages now and I can see it all coming together.” 

Trevino has already qualified for Nationals in 2026 and is planning to fly out to Milwaukee to compete. He also plans to attend State Championships in Mission Bay in October, where he will get scores in each event he competes in, giving him the opportunity to be one of the best and compete for team U.S.A at the World Triathlon Championships in Spain.

“The top kids in your age groups get to compete for Team U.S.A [at Worlds], and as you get older…two [athletes] compete for the U.S.A in the Olympics,” Trevino said. 

Throughout his athletic journey, Trevino feels that his parents have been one of his biggest support systems. 

“My family’s always there for me and drives me to all my competitions” Trevino said, “My dad flew to Wisconsin to [watch] me compete at Nationals this year”

In order to prepare for competitions, Trevino prioritizes taking care of his physical health.  

“The day before [a comepetion] I normally take it easy and do a little bit of running or swimming just to get my body moving,” Trevino said. “I make sure to go to bed early because you have to get there really early … I always bring electrolytes with me that I drink throughout the race.” 

Beyond making sure he is as physically ready as possible, Trevino also focuses on getting in a positive and productive headspace. 

“I spend the day before [a competition] envisioning [the race and my success] … I just listen to music and walk myself through how I’m going to [perform] each part [of the triathlon],” Trevino said. 

When Trevino faces rough patches while in practice or at competitions, he always tries to remember that it will eventually get better. 

“You just have to keep your head up and know that if you focus on your training plan it’s going to get better in the end,” Trevino said. “Everyone has rough patches … [you] need to keep going through them and honestly just enjoy the sport.”

One moment in his athletic career that he holds dear is his win at the Mt. SAC invitational last year in the Russian Race. 

“I won the [race] by quite a bit … it was pretty cool to cross the finish line first and get a trophy and have an interview,” Trevino said. “I finished on the track and was the only one [still] on the track … It was pretty cool to see all my work paying off.”

While Trevino faces a heavy schedule with hours of training every day, he developed strategies for staying on top of his school work.

“I try my best not to procrastinate,” Trevino said. “If [assignments are] due on Wednesday but I get [them] on Monday, I try to do it Monday. I think it’s definitely possible to do everything … I just need to be disciplined about it” 

Trevino’s dreams go beyond just competing at the highest level of his sport. He eventually wants to spend his days flying planes or pursuing a career in medicine. 

“I would want to be a pilot or a doctor … a cardiologist would probably be the dream job,” Trevino said. “At such a young age I loved planes … I [feel] like it would be so cool to fly around to new places.”

No matter how far he’s come, Trevino plans to keep working hard to pursue his more long-term goals. 

“I’ve put in a bunch of work, so it makes me feel happy that it’s [being recognized],” Trevino said. “[this success] is definitely a cool thing to achieve, and I want to keep getting better.”