Boca Raton resident Kaela Stephano, 15, went to compete in the Reebok CrossFit Games in Carson, Calif., last month and came home as the “Fittest Teen on Earth” in her age group.
Stephano, who works out at CrossFit HYPE in Boca Raton, was one of ten teenage girls her age in the world to make it to the Reebok CrossFit games. She competed in Carson, Calif., from July 19 to the 21 this year.
“I competed against the other top 10 girls in the world. We had seven workouts over the course of three days. I took first place in two of the workouts. I excelled in the strength portions of the workouts and many of the gymnastics movements. By winning the last workout, I received enough points to be awarded the fittest 14/15-year-old girl in the world,” Stephano tells bocamag.com.
She has been doing CrossFit for 2.5 years.
“… I started because my mom and my sister were at CrossFit and I wanted to get in shape,” she says.
Stephano says she likes that CrossFit workouts are constantly varied because she doesn’t get bored with the training. Her favorite CrossFit exercise is the ring muscle up. It was the toughest movement for her when she started and, she says, she has to work hard to master the exercise.
The local teen inspiration is a Boca Raton native, who is homeschooled. Stephano is not only fit, but she’s also smart. She tells Bocamag.com that she will be entering her senior year taking all college classes through dual enrollment.
“When I graduate in June, I will be 16,” Stephano says.
Stephano’s fitness journey continues. She was invited to and attended the girls’ weightlifting camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., just last week.
“Also, in June, I became the national champion in weightlifting for the 58 kg weight class. That accomplishment earned me a place on the U.S. team that will travel to Guatemala in September for the Pan Am games. This will be my first international competition,” she says. “In the fall, I plan on continuing to compete in CrossFit competitions. I also am planning on trying to compete at the 2017 Reebok CrossFit games, as well.”
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