Guam’s wrestling family: Aquino sisters ready to leave it all on the mat at Paris 2024
With 20 seconds left in the bout between herself and the Olympics, Tokyo 2020 Olympian Rckaela Maree Aquino saw her Olympic dream slipping away. Tunisia’s Falen Hammami looked set to grab her ticket, but in a reversal of fate, Aquino initiated a scoring takedown with massive ramifications for her family.
It was only a few minutes earlier that her sister, 2014 Youth Olympian Mia-Lahnee Aquino, won her bout to secure a quota place* in the women’s 53kg weight class. Rckaela’s comeback victory in 57kg weight class meant the sisters would have the opportunity to compete alongside one another at the Olympic Games for the first time in their careers.
Reflecting on their accomplishment with Olympics.com, Mia-Lahnee Aquino stated, “It's really an amazing feeling for me considering it's my first Olympics. Not only is it my first Olympics, it's also [that] I get to go with my younger sister. So it's just been an amazing feeling.”
Rckaela Maree Aquino added, “For me, this is my second time doing it. And coming from Guam, where we're from our island, you don't get too many athletes who qualify on merit. So to be able to do it twice, and not only that but do it with my sister, it's just one of the best feelings in the world.”
Read on to learn more about the sisters as they prepare to put Guam on the map at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Another generation of athletes in the family business: wrestling
Wrestling is a family affair for the Aquino sisters. They are coached by their father and former wrestler, Antonio Aquino, who serves as President of the Guam Amateur Wrestling Federation, and their uncle, judo Olympian Mariano Aquino.
“The dream was to go to the Olympics together with our dad coaching us, too,” said Rckaela Maree Aquino. “So, not only is [Mia-Lahnee] going with us this time, but our dad will be able to coach and our uncle will be there. It's a whole family affair.”
While it has taken some time for the sisters to strengthen their bond, overcoming sibling disagreements and minor childhood clashes, they are happy to be able to share the experience of wrestling at an elite level with one another.
“It's so fortunate that I have my younger sister as my training partner because wrestling just doesn't stop,” remarked Mia-Lahnee Aquino. “We have our training session and then when we come back home [and] we keep talking about wrestling after competition too.”
The pair’s recent results certainly suggest there may be an advantage to this unique training situation as well. Rckaela and Mia-Lahnee are both Oceanian Champions in their respective weight classes.
Mia-Lahnee Aquino (GUM) wrestles Lobna Ichaoui (TUN) at the 2024 UWW African/Oceanian Olympic Qualifier.
Training to face the world’s best wrestlers at Paris 2024
While there are fewer active wrestlers in Oceania than in other continental regions, the Aquino sisters don’t slack-off when it comes to training.
“We train six days out of the week,” notes Mia-Lahnee. “[Our] morning consists of our cardio or strength training, and then the afternoon is our wrestling session.”
The sisters focus on their technique during wrestling sessions, sparring with one another to gain more match experience. The repeated bouts have made the sisters intimately familiar with each other’s style.
Mia-Lahnee describes Rckaela as “handsy,” because, “It's hard to get through Rckaela’s hands. Sometimes, you think you get through, but she will always come in and I still feel her hand.”
Rckaela uses the phrase “hard head” to describe Mia-Lahnee, explaining, “Whenever she wrestles, she's jamming her head into you. When you get out from around her, her head will be red, your head will be red, and it's like, oh my, that entire round she’s grinding into you.”
Of course, with a limited pool of athletes, it can be hard to gain the necessary experience to challenge top-ranked wrestlers at major competitions.
“We go to Japan and train, and there are sometimes 10 to 20 females on the mat,” notes Rckaela. “On Guam we only have the two of us and two other female wrestlers, our teammates.”
Nonetheless, the sisters don’t allow the reality of the population to hold them back or squander their lofty goals.
“It kind of makes it much more motivating for us because we want to put Guam on the map,” asserts Rckaela. “We want to show the world that we can compete as well, even if we're just from a small island.”
Where one dream is achieved, another is born
The Aquino sisters aren’t content with qualifying for the Olympics, they want to win medals.
“For both of us, we're really looking to take it one match at a time and make it to the medal round and possibly win at Paris,” explains Mia-Lahnee.
It would be a historic feat if one or both of the Aquino sisters advanced to the medal matches at Paris 2024. Guam has never won a medal at the Olympic Games, so they would be the first athletes to bring an Olympic medal back to the island.
While making history has undeniable appeal, the pair has other, more personal, aspirations at Paris 2024.
Mia-Lahnee would like a re-match against Ecuador’s Lucia Yepez. Yepez was responsible for eliminating her from the final Olympic qualification tournament for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Mia-Lahnee would like to see how she’s improved by facing off against the Ecuadorian at Paris 2024.
Rckaela, on the other hand, doesn’t have any “desired” opponents, but she would be a little starstruck if drawn against American Olympic Champion Helen Maroulis. Nonetheless, she hopes to focus on the match rather than the opponent in Paris.
“I'm just focusing on doing my best, making sure I step up on the mat ready to wrestle. It doesn't matter who it is in front of us, we're going to compete the same way,” assured Rckaela Aquino.
What does the future look like for Guam’s dynamic wrestling duo?
Wrestling remains paramount in the lives of the Aquino sisters, and they don’t intend to stop after Paris.
Mia-Lahnee is studying for a university degree in physical therapy, while Rckaela is pursuing a university degree in exercise science. Both have had to balance academics and wrestling.
The balance has been difficult, but neither would trade it for a life without wrestling. In fact, they intend to grow the sport long after they are done competing. Both see coaching youth wrestlers in Guam as a potential future career.
For now, however, they are content to keep wrestling and chasing titles.
“I can honestly say for the both of us that we love wrestling so much to the point where I don't think I can imagine my life without wrestling,” said Mia-Lahnee Aquino.
Wrestling at Paris 2024
Wrestling will be held at the purpose-built Champ de Mars Arena from 5-11 August. There will be 18 events contested across men’s freestyle, greco-roman and women’s freestyle wrestling.