Olympic discus gold - check. Next stop - the NFL?

Roje Stona's 2024 Olympic discus gold was his first medal at a major championships

Little more than four months after winning a historic gold medal for Jamaica, Olympic discus champion Roje Stona has set his sights on success in a completely different sport - American football.

The 25-year-old is one of 14 athletes selected for the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) programme intake in January.

The programme is a 10-week crash course for athletes from around the world to learn the skills needed to succeed in the NFL and give them the opportunity to earn a roster spot.

Welsh rugby union international Louis Rees-Zammit, eighth-tier English rugby union player Travis Clayton, and Gaelic footballer Charlie Smyth were all selected by NFL teams after being part of the 2024 class.

Stona's decision to go from throwing the discus to chucking his weight around a football field is probably the biggest surprise among the 2025 group, especially when you consider he has never played a competitive game of American football at any level.

"Unless you count Madden," joked Stona, referencing the popular video game series.

"I understand the work it's going to take," he told BBC Sport. "I've done my research. I think a lot can happen in those eight to 10 weeks. I believe there's great coaches who can teach me a lot."

When Stona topped the podium at Paris 2024 - setting an Olympic record of 70m in the process - it was the first time Jamaica had won gold in a throwing event.

He received a hero's welcome on his return to the island and a message of congratulation from Usain Bolt.

However, having reached the pinnacle of the sport he had dedicated his life to, Stona woke up one day with a burning question on his mind: what next?

"There was a little bit of a comedown [after Paris]," he added. "I've been throwing the discus and shotput for over 10 years, since I was a junior.

"The goal was to become the best in the world and that came in a great time. So after finishing college and thinking back on the year, that's when I decided I'd pursue my interest in football."

Stona set an Olympic record when he won discus gold in Paris in the summer

Stona said he fell in love with American football after being invited to watch a game while studying in South Carolina at Clemson University, whose team became national champions in 2017 and 2019.

He said: "My first reaction when I got to the stadium was 'there's a lot of people here'. I am talking the type of crowd you'd see at the Olympics or World Championships - and they had this at a college football game.

"I went to more and more games, became more interested, then started watching the NFL. Then my goals just sort of shifted and I thought, 'I might have a shot at this. I should try it out.'

A dreamer? Naive? Perhaps.

However, Stona describes himself as a "visual learner" able to perfect a technique just by watching and repeating the process.

After being invited to work out with the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints last spring, Stona decided to take part in all the practice drills. An unusual move, but having never played the sport before he was unsure if he was best suited to play offence or defence.

These sessions were also the first time he had worn American football equipment, including a helmet.

"Up until then I'd only seen the sport from the fan point of view, but then I went into these buildings and the coaches were talking about specific plays to run," he said. "It was strange learning a new language."

Coaches earmarked Stona as best suited to play tight end, catching passes, although his preferred position and the one he would like to pursue is defensive end, tasked with pressuring the quarterback.

"I'm a bit of a sponge," he added. "Going behind the scenes, you see just how much strategy is involved in the game, but I have a lot of curiosity.

"Anything you do for the first time you get nervous, but my whole life has been competing at a high level, so I catch on fast. I am very coachable."

What Stona lacks in experience on a football field he more than makes up for in athleticism and physicality - he listed at 6ft 6in and just shy of 19st. NFL analyst Lance Zierlein has highlighted Stona's "outstanding size, length, musculation and explosiveness".

However, the notes on his weaknesses pointed to the fact he is new to the game and that he displayed "some stiffness in lateral movements".

Stona says he is under no illusion about how much work it is likely to take to even make an NFL roster, let alone take to the field.

He is aware hundreds have tried, and few have succeeded, including athletes from backgrounds closer to American football.

For now, thoughts of defending his Olympic title in Los Angeles in 2028 are on the back burner.

A competitive fire rages inside him, often fuelled by the response from those who are sceptical he can achieve his goal.

"I think it's 100% possible," he said. "If you don't believe it can happen, it probably won't happen.

"I understand the work I have to put in. Discus took time. Football will take some time. I see some of the comments already, but I don't put limits on myself."