Now, the 17-year-old sprinter is following in the footsteps of fellow athletic champions, Dean Capobianco and John-Paul Caligiuri.
Capobianco dominates in the 100m and 200m, while Caligiuri is one of the best hurdlers in the world.
Chiodo attended St Joseph’s Primary School in Pascoe Vale and is now a student at St Joseph’s College in North Melbourne.
He started swimming from a young age, and concentrated on this sport for six years.
He also tried soccer for a while, but athletics turned out to be his favourite sport.
Chiodo proved himself to be a gifted sprinter early on, and dominated at Little Athletics competitions, representing the Fawkner and Coburg clubs.
At the age of 14, he was the Under 15 state champion for 100m and 200m.
Following this victory, he decided to participate in the seniors division and enrolled at the athletic club in Brunswick.
Chiodo trained with a great deal of commitment and effort under the guidance of trainers Barney Oak and Rhonda Jenkins (who won many state and national titles in the 1970s).
His hard work has paid off and Chiodo has won numerous competitions in the last two years, including the national title and state championships for 100m in both the Under 17 and Under 18 divisions.
Last week, the Australian champion was selected to participate in the Junior Olympics in Tokyo, set to take place on October 26 and 27.
Only two Australian athletes were selected to attend the event.
This will be Chiodo’s first international competition... but it certainly won’t be his last.
A few months from now, the young athlete will race in the 100m and the 4x100m relay with the Australian Under 23 team at an important meet in New Zealand.
Next year, he’ll compete in the world championships in Seoul, South Korea.
Filippo Chiodo is a talented yet humble teen who is determined to run against the best in the world at the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.
We’re sure his time in Toyko will be the first of many international experiences for him.
