PUHI — Loikena Yamamoto will have his final heavy practice Saturday before leaving Tuesday for Michigan, where he will be participating in the USA Youth Weight Lifting in the 13 and Under, 62 kilogram division that will contest July 14 through 17.
The event will be streamed live.
“As far as I know, he will be the first youth from Kauai to have qualified for the nationals in his age group in weight lifting,” said JP Bolwahnn, Yamamoto’s coach.
Yamamoto, working on special training and conditioning in preparation for his national competition, was one of Bolwahnn’s first students when he joined the Kauai Weight Lifting program in 2016.
“My mother was doing weight lifting,” said Yamamoto, soft-spoken and focused on his technique. “She asked me if I wanted to do this, and I jumped in. I’ve been lifting, ever since.”
Royden Yamamoto, Loikena’s father, said since starting, Loikena has already surpassed his mother’s program.
Loikena has been through at least four tournaments, one on Oahu, and three on Kauai, Bolwahnn said.
“He’s done pretty good,” the coach said. “On Oahu, he finished second, and on Kauai, he’s finished second. His very first tournament, he was the only one in his age group and defaulted to a first finish. However, we don’t have that many weight lifters so he gets put into other categories and gets the silver medals. If he were competing on his own level, he’d be a strong contender for first place.”
When Loikena takes the mat in Grand Rapids on June 17, Bolwahnn said the goal is to do all six lifts.
“The main goal is experience and exposure,” the coach said. “We want to do all six lifts. If we can do this, we’ll see how Kena feels, and if he feels like it, he can advance to the podium rounds.”
Bolwahnn has been coaching CrossFit for 13 years, and weight lifting for at least 10 years.
“I’d like to see more youth come out for weight lifting,” he said. “I can work with youngsters as young as 12 years old and as mature as 17, or 18 years old.”
Loikena smiled shyly during a rest period between lifts.
“This has been really fun,” he said. “If I continue, I can travel the world.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
