Kawehi Gillcoat

Purple Belt
Instagram: @kawehi_13

I’m from the island of Maui and I started training in 2021 after my father had told me he was entering the IBJJF Master Worlds. Since I was a young kid, I’ve been competing in wrestling until the COVID-19 pandemic affected my college wrestling opportunities.

I was hungry to get on the mats some type of way so I said sign me up to. I have stopped working to become a full-time athlete and pursue my dreams of competing on the biggest stages, against the best in the world.Recently my hometown Lahaina got burned down by a fire. The town and community of Lahaina has been supporting me since I was a young child with anything I needed. Within all the chaos and tragedy, I hope to try and bring a sense of hope and light by showing that no matter what happens, we can rise up and be strong.

Also, I hope to build a platform as I chase my dream and spread awareness with what happened in Lahaina and hopefully get some support while the people try to rebuild and move forward with all the loss.