Washington State freshman Dino Dodig is no stranger to distance.

As a decathlon participant on the WSU track team, Dodig puts a lot of miles on his shoes training for 10 separate events over the course of a track meet. However, the distance between Pullman and his hometown of Novi Sad in Serbia is something entirely new to Dodig.

He said support from his family and friends back home made moving to a new country a smooth transition. He cited his mother as a big influence because she is a track coach back in Serbia. She gives him guidance in how to think, train and prepare.

 “There is no defeat in her eyes, only winning and practice,” Dodig said.

Dodig said he came to America because it is extremely difficult to study and train at the same time in Serbia. He realized that he wanted to finish something and still be able to continue with other careers once he is done with track.

“In high school I had 14 different classes with three books just for one exam,” Dodig said. “Over here there is just one book for a class during a semester and it allows you to learn material more thoroughly.”

He chose WSU over other schools because of Head Coach Rick Sloan’s reputation as a great decathlon coach. He said he loves the town of Pullman because it is small and allows him to focus on schoolwork and training.  

This is Dodig’s first year in the United States, and he has not failed to impress coaches with his dexterous dedication and tireless work ethic.

“He says he is never tired, but I know that he is,” Sloan said. “It’s something we have to watch out for.”

Sloan said Dodig was coached well in Serbia and possesses great skills across the board.

“I think he’ll be a Pac-12 scorer and an NCAA guy this year,” Sloan said.

While some might shy away from the immense workload involved with decathlon, Dodig is not one of them. During two-day meets, Dodig participates in the 100-meter dash, the long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter dash, 100-meter dash, the 110-meter hurdles, discuss, pole vault, javelin, and 1500-meter run.

“People say decathlon is the hardest, but I don’t believe in that,” Dodig said. “If you are dedicated and you believe in yourself then everything is easy because you enjoy what you are doing.”

In addition to three hours a day of physical preparation, Dodig said there is a huge aspect of mental preparation that goes into his training. He said he spends much of his free time imagining succeeding at things that are difficult for him.

“If you are thinking about what you need to do and how you need to do it, and imagine yourself succeeding at it, then you can actually succeed at it because your mind and body are connected,” Dodig said. “If you cannot imagine something, then you cannot succeed at it.”

Dodig said good sleep and eating healthy are also important aspects to his training regimen.

“You need to get a good night sleep to prepare not just for tomorrow, but the following weeks as well,” Dodig said.

After his track and field career is over, Dodig said he would like to get into coaching in some capacity in the United States because he likes the system. He wants to motivate and help people find themselves in their sport.

“I’m figuring out day to day how to prepare my mind, so if people don’t understand that, then maybe I can help them,” Dodig said.

WSU will be taking split squads to Idaho to compete in events in Moscow and Nampa this weekend. Most will head to Nampa to take part in Jacksons Invite and the New Balance Boise Indoor on Friday and Saturday. A limited number of throwers and distance runners will compete at the Vandal Collegiate I on Friday and/or the Idaho Open on Saturday.

Dodig will be heading to Nampa and will compete in the 60-meter hurdles, long jump and shot put.