Evan Nagao has the world on a string. As the defending world yo-yo champion from Hawaii, he’s the star to beat when more than 300 competitors from more than 20 countries descend on Cleveland for the World Yo-Yo Contest Aug. 7-10 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. “At the highest level, these guys are mind-blowing,” says event organizer Steve Brown. The competition is light years removed from the ‘50s and ‘60s when colorful plastic Duncan yo-yos were all the rage. “The yo-yos are made of aluminum and the top players spend more than 10,000 hours a year practicing for this contest,” says Brown, who placed third in the event in 1997. The first day of competition features an open wild-card round where entrants have 30 seconds to survive and advance. 24 Public Square, Cleveland, cleveland2019.com
Unwind With World Yo-Yo Champions
It's not the plastic toy we remember, these competitors use aluminum shells and even perform to music.
