Brynn understands the sacrifices required to achieve her ultimate goal and embraces them.“She is considered one of the best in her age and weight. She could even move up a few weight classes and still be on the podium or winning, which shows how strong she is. I try to be mindful, as her dad […]
Brynn understands the sacrifices required to achieve her ultimate goal and embraces them.“She is considered one of the best in her age and weight. She could even move up a few weight classes and still be on the podium or winning, which shows how strong she is. I try to be mindful, as her dad and her coach, that burnout is a real thing in the athletic world. So, balancing that between being a kid but also knowing that sacrifice is there when you want to achieve something big—I’m trying to manage all of that as a coach and as a dad,” Catalano said.Catalano recognizes his daughter’s talent and drive but believes in the importance of balance to avoid burnout, especially as they work toward the long-term goal of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team.It’s safe to say the Catalano family bond is forged in iron—literally.Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
BATON ROUGE — Bonding time for the Catalano family looks a little different than most.Brynn will be 18 when Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympics, but Catalano believes she might be better suited for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032 when she’s a bit older.After selling the CrossFit gym, the family connected with Matt Bruce, a three-time Senior National medalist in Olympic weightlifting. Bruce saw Brynn lifting and asked if he could coach her.While several local high schools have powerlifting teams, Olympic lifting is much less common.Catalano was training his 14-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son in the art and technique of Olympic weightlifting.With guidance from Bruce and her father, Brynn won a national championship in 2019 at just 9 years old. Since then, she has become one of the most accomplished teen Olympic weightlifters in the world, winning another national title in 2021, placing second in 2022, tying for first in 2023, and being named Best Female Lifter across all age groups at the 2024 Youth Nationals in Pittsburgh.
“Powerlifting is press, dead lift, and back squat, while Olympic lifting (focuses on) snatch and clean-and-jerk,” Catalano explained, noting that his daughter is also on the powerlifting team at her local high school. “It’s inspiring. The days when I don’t feel like doing anything or feel like I’ve done too much and just want to sit down, I look at her and at my son, and they work so hard. I’m like, ‘Okay, I need to get off my butt.’”Even as a father, Catalano admits Brynn inspires him.Earlier this year, she competed at the Pan-American Youth Championships in Ecuador, earning a silver medal and two bronze medals while competing against potential future Olympians.Brynn’s passion for weightlifting started early. Catalano, who used to own CrossFit Ruckus on South Harrells Ferry Road in Baton Rouge, recalled his daughter being in the gym at just 4 years old, working alongside adults.“She just took to it—weightlifting, CrossFit, kettlebell movements. I was teaching her how to squat properly. As she got older, I got Kid CrossFit certified. I would have these mini kids classes and she really excelled and listened to instructions so that kind of blossomed,” Catalano said. When UWK spoke with father Chase Catalano, he was in his family’s Olympic-style weightlifting gym—once just an average garage.“Whatever you put your mind to, you can do. Don’t let anybody else make you think otherwise.” When asked what advice she’d give to other young girls interested in Olympic lifting—or any sport or activity they’ve been discouraged from pursuing—Brynn’s message was clear:“I never had that type of push in life to tackle something this lofty,” Catalano said. “I see her walk in, day in and day out, drop her bookbag at the door, come into the garage, start stretching and lifting, and put hours of work in each day to chase this goal. It’s humbling. It makes you realize what our youth have inside of them, mentally and physically, because there’s no way I could have ever done something like that when I was that young.His daughter, Brynn, is already making international strides in the sport. She was named the best female lifter in the 14-15 age group at the 2024 Weightlifting Nationals in Pittsburgh. Most recently, she competed at the Pan-American Youth Championships in Ecuador, where she earned a silver medal and two bronze medals.“If I keep working the same way I’m working now, or even harder, then I just have to give up going to hang out with my friends or having a party or something and be like, ‘Look, I’m dedicated to this. If I’m wanting to go to the Olympics, then I have to be willing to give up and sacrifice other things for that,’” Brynn said.
