RDU airport agent doubles as an Olympian

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Jordin Andrade handles bags as an Envoy agent at Raleigh Durham International Airport.

"I've been here seven months now," he said. "I finally got off probation which gives me the green vest. It's an upgrade out here."

The upgrade he's looking for isn't a green vest but a gold medal.

"The Olympics is next year so to have a company that supports me is huge," Andrade said.

He made quite an impression on his boss.

"Actually, I was the one who interviewed him for the job," said Envoy chief manager Luis Rivera. "I got very impressed with his resume."

It's a resume that allows Andrade to lace up different kinds of shoes.

"I've been to 30 countries around the world," Andrade said. "I'm a professional track athlete and none of that would have happened had I been too afraid to take my first step or to go to my first track meet.

Andrade has won a USA National Title, an NCAA silver medal and became an Olympian in the 400-meter hurdles representing Cape Verde.

"I wanted to put a country in the spotlight ahead of myself," he said. "A country that's never had a rising star at the Olympics and that was my goal and I accomplished it to the best of my abilities."

Andrade was the first Olympic semifinalist from Cape Verde in 2016 but he has bigger dreams and that's where Envoy is helping him in getting ready for the 2020 Olympics.

"The hardest thing about being an Olympic athlete is companies love to say they have an Olympic athlete working for them," he said. "But, a lot of companies are afraid to have an Olympian work for them while they're still pursuing their Olympic dream because they think it's going to take their mind off of their work ethics. But not for me; I work as hard as I can."

Not only is Envoy helping Andrade to put some extra money in his wallet, but it's also helping with his strength.

"Weighing 50 pounds each, that's a couple tons of weight every flight," Andrade said of luggage. "You have a few flights of those each day and that's the movement, that's the workout because you also have to push to throw to each other in the bin."

Andrade's goal is to become Cape Verde's first Olympic finalist.

He's also looking for sponsors. You can follow his journey on Instagram here.