Hawaiian Man Wins 2018 Yo-Yo World Championships in China

August 14, 2018

A Hawaiian man, who has dedicated most of his life “yo-yoing,” recently became the World Yo-Yo Champion.

Evan Nagao displayed an incredible performance in Shanghai, China on Sunday to win the 2018 Yo-Yo World Championships.

Set to “Free Bird” by Lynrd Skynrd, the 22-year-old’s winning performance showcased his mastery of the skill he developed since falling in love with yo-yos as a kid.

His fluid control of the yo-yo while displaying split-second tricks was nothing short of phenomenal during the four-minute spectacle.

Nagao, who is based in Honolulu, performed tricks called “Slackalicious” and “Fidget Spinner Slack,” in addition to several Pokémon-inspired maneuvers named “Porygon” and “Level 100 Gyrados” among others, reports Newsweek.

“In competition, I go into what’s called a flow-state,” Nagao revealed last month after winning the 2018 National Yo-Yo Contest in Chicago. “It’s basically where time disintegrates and I’m on stage for three minutes, but it feels like two seconds and afterward, I get off stage, and I don’t remember anything that I did.”

For his performance on Sunday, Nagao said he spent 17,520 hours to prepare.

“That’s how much practice I put in before I finally took home the title,” Nagao said in a YouTube video. “I used every ounce of energy I had left to do the best freestyle I can do.”

Before winning his first world title, Nagao won the U.S. yo-yo championships two years in a row.

Nagao’s father, who was a yo-yo salesman, introduced him to the fascinating toy when he was just a toddler.

Featured Image via YouTube / yoyovideoarchive

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