OLDSMAR, Fla. — Dr. Rhadi Ferguson is exceptionally skilled in judo. He’s a four-time national champion and former Olympian in the 2004 Summer Games.
Now, he’s a coach at Tampa Florida Judo, and his brightest student is a 15-year-old with the same name and comes with his pedigree.
“It was kind of crazy to see my dad when he was younger,” Rhadi Ferguson, Jr. said. “He was like an animal.”
WATCH: Judo prodigy is set on following father's footsteps to Olympics
Rhadi Jr. has been following in her dad’s footsteps since she was 3 years old.
“I like to say he’s my hero, a little bit. But I really do look up to him.”
She’s been training in judo with her dad for 12 years, and she is on her way to becoming a champion. Rhadi Jr. is ranked 20th in the International Judo Foundation’s 18U Cadet World Rankings and 63rd in the 21U Junior World Rankings.
“The thing that separates Rhadi from other people is that she is super coachable,” Ferguson said. “Children aren’t always going to want to do things. The mind of a 50-year-old is different from the mind of a 15-year-old. She is wise enough to understand that and wise enough to accept wise counsel.”
Judo has taught Rhadi Jr. more than just physical skills. The sport has also given her discipline.
“I kind of fit it in everyday life because I do it all the time,” Rhadi Jr. said. “I wake up early in the morning and work out. Sometimes I’m in here with my father, just training and going over some drills. Then I go to school. Leave at 3:30, get to judo at 5 o’clock, and I’m doing judo again.”
And again, we might see a Ferguson competing in the Olympics. Rhadi Jr. has her sights set on the 2028 games in Los Angeles.
“The pursuit of the Olympics is very difficult,” Ferguson said. “There are times when she says she wants to do it, and a couple of years ago, she said she didn’t want to do it. I think right now, because I forced her to go to practice all the time, she sees how good she is. She sees now that it is attainable.”
Rhadi Jr. is not following in the footsteps of greatness. As her dad says, she’s extending them.
“She’s on the path,” Ferguson said. “It’s up to her about how great she wants to be.”
