Agoot scoots for eighth-place at states

With a glowing smile that lights up the entire room, Mokihana Aquatics’ Keyah-Leilani Agoot is the kind of girl every parent would want to show off to their friends. You see, the 12-year-old Kapa‘a Middle School student has the talent and charisma to make anyone in her presence melt with excitement.

Agoot’s greatest talent though is in the pool, where she recently placed eighth in the state in the girls 11-12 100 breast stroke meet with an acutal time of 1:36.03 in the finals. Agoot’s preliminary actual time of 1:32.75 got her into the final round.

“I came into the meet not really expecting to do so well, but I guess I kinda surprised myself,” Agoot said.

Besides the pool, the classroom is where Agoot also shines with a 4.0 GPA. Her love for animals goes beyond the full household of cats, as she aspires to be a veterinarian some day.

Agoot’s coach, Orlando Anaya (Coach “O”) is very optimistic about her future.

“Keyah is a great person to coach and I wish every swimmer was like her,” Anaya said. The 4’10” Agoot may be small in stature, but she surely makes it up with a maturity that can’t be seen in students her age. Besides swimming, Agoot’s other interests include running in beauty pageants and winning, as she won the 2002 Miss Cindarella crown and the 2000 Miss Hawaiian Tropic contest, playing soccer, singing, and dancing.

With all of that on her plate, Agoot definitely has the supporting cast that makes it all possible. Shane (dad) and Shereen (Mom) have been great examples for her.

“My mommy and daddy are my idols and they are always there at my meets cheering me on,” Agoot said.

Keyah-Leilani has also taught swimming lessons for Mokihana Aquatics’ Learn to Swim program.

The quiet, yet confident swimmer has a lot of potential and it seems the only way to stop her is to take her out of the pool completely.