Jazmin Lopez–Mastach of Tucson will compete in the World Kettlebell Juggling Games in London in November after finishing second in two events at a qualifying event at Fountain Hills last month.
Lopez-Mastach, 19, trained for only four months in the sport before competing in the North American Kettlebell Juggling Open.
She performed impressively enough at the Fountain Hills event to earn a “Rookie of the Year” honor.
Lopez-Mastach began training at Jet Sports Training with owner Bobby Rodriguez and director of sports performance Jose Felix.
In recent years, she has trained at Undisputed. She now coaches at the gym.
She began to juggle the kettlebell she was working out with there and became fascinated by the sport.
“I started teaching myself tricks from Instagram, and the more I researched, the more I realized this was a real sport,” Lopez-Mastach told the Navajo Times.
Lopez-Mastach’s quick adaptation to the sport has qualified her for the World Games in London, which will be her first trip outside of the United States.
Lopez-Mastach is already ranked as one of the top 10 females worldwide in freestyle kettlebell juggling, as rated by the Kettlebell Juggling World Association. She is at No. 7.
She is studying personal training and nutrition at Pima Community College. She told the Navajo Times that a goal is to open a gym to give back to her Navajo community and heritage.
“Fitness gave me an outlet I never knew I needed,” Lopez-Mastach told the Navajo Times. “I want to give that to other kids who might not have the opportunity.”
