JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Earlier this year, First Coast News introduced viewers to Caden Cahoy, a weightlifter from Mandarin who was just one lift away from qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Cahoy's father, Chad Cahoy, talked with First Coast News to discuss how Caden's story has inspired others in the community to take up weightlifting, increasing interest in the sport on the First Coast.
"I actually had five or six people reach out to me after seeing the story on the news," said Cahoy, who is a weightlifting coach and the owner of Jacksonville Weightlifting. "They liked what we were doing and wanted to stop by."
Weightlifting is growing on the First Coast, and Cahoy sees the impact firsthand.
"Since May 2020, when I established the gym, we've grown from taking two to three athletes to state championships back in 2020 to taking 30 this year," he said.
Cahoy noted that the sport's popularity is not only increasing, but Florida is also producing Olympic-caliber weightlifters.
"Three out of the four Team USA members in Jacksonville are here at our gym," Cahoy added.
Juliana Mannino joined Cahoy's gym a year ago after being introduced to weightlifting by her friend, Haven.
"She was just super strong, and I was jealous of her," Mannino said. "I wanted to be that strong, so I decided to do it with her."
It proved to be the right decision for Mannino.
"I love the way it makes me feel. I'm so much happier, my stress levels are lower, and I just feel healthier overall," she said.
In her first year of training, Mannino was selected to compete at the national weightlifting competition for her age division, an accomplishment she did not expect to achieve so soon.
"Before this, I wasn't able to do snatches or squats," she said.
The success of athletes like Mannino is what Cahoy envisioned when he opened Jacksonville Weightlifting.
"Good coaching talent brings in good athletic talent, so that's where we're at," Cahoy said. "We've got a lot of absolute studs here who are going to make a name for themselves and the city of Jacksonville soon."
Cahoy dreams of coaching Olympians from Jacksonville.