JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics is scheduled for July 26th, airing on NBC 12.
As the summer games approach, one local athlete is diligently working to qualify. Caden Cahoy, a weightlifter from the First Coast, who is on the verge of representing the red, white, and blue in Paris.
Since his childhood, Caden Cahoy has been in go-mode, engaging in various physical activities. His father and coach, Chad Cahoy, shared, "He's always been outside, he's always been on a scooter. He's always been on a bicycle. He was on a dirt bike for a while." One day, Caden joined his father at the gym, where he started playing around with rings and bars, eventually turning his dad into his coach.
Caden's progress was rapid. Chad Cahoy noted, "The first time he touched a barbell, it wasn't surprising to me to see that he picks it up really, really fast." Starting weightlifting competitions at the age of 9, Caden now lifts significantly more weight, participating in events like the snatch and clean and jerk.
In a recent competition in Bulgaria, the 20-year-old weightlifter stunned the competition by lifting a total of 329 kg, equivalent to 725 pounds. Now, he is just one competition away from qualifying to represent Team USA in Paris, a remarkable opportunity that the Cahoy family wasn't expecting so soon. Caden expressed, "We had no intentions of making this Olympic team in 2024. We were just focused on 2028."
His father, Chad, likened Caden's journey to the NBA, saying, "It's just like LeBron James or Kobe Bryant leaving high school and going straight to the NBA. That's what Caden's doing but for this sport." Caden Cahoy, a graduate of Mandarin High School, must win his class to secure a spot on the Olympic team, with the qualifying event for the snatch, clean, and jerk set for April 4th in Thailand.
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