Santa Clarita’s 11-year-old yo-yo standout Geo Gan continued his rapid rise through the sport Tuesday, Aug. 18, competing in the invitation-only King of Kings yo-yo competition in Osaka, Japan.

Gan was the youngest competitor invited to the event, which features a field of world and national champions and offers a $6,000 prize.

The competition comes just days after Gan reached the 1A Final at the 2026 World Yo-Yo Contest in Himeji, Japan, where he competed in the open adult division against some of the sport’s top professionals.

Gan finished 21st out of 22 finalists at Worlds with zero deductions.

The performance added another milestone to what has been a remarkable rise for the Santa Clarita youngster.

Gan first picked up a yo-yo in April 2024 after seeing a friend use one at school.

“At school, one of my friends brought a really cheap yo-yo and started yo-yoing,” Gan previously told KHTS. “I was like, that’s pretty cool, I want to try too.”

He soon received his own yo-yo as a souvenir during a family trip to Niagara Falls for the total solar eclipse.

Within months, Gan began competing and winning.

Later in 2024, he took first place in the San Diego Classic in the Sport 1A division. In March 2025, he won the Pacific Northwest Regional in the Sport 1A division for ages 10 to 12.

That summer, Gan added an international accomplishment, earning a bronze medal at the first Junior Division of the World Yo-Yo Contest in Prague.

His progression continued into 2026.

In June, Gan finished 10th out of 72 adult professionals in the 1A Open Pro Finals at the 2026 US National Yo-Yo Championship.

The result put the then-11-year-old among the top 10 competitors in the most competitive division at the national championship.

Gan has since moved beyond the Junior and Sport divisions and now competes exclusively in the adult professional field.

For Gan, however, the appeal of yo-yoing goes beyond the results.

“I like making friends, I like sharing tricks and I like competing because there’s so much high energy,” Gan previously told KHTS. “When you go on stage, everyone cheers for you and when you come off, everyone crowds you and says, ‘You did so well.’”

Gan lives in Santa Clarita with his family and is homeschooled, allowing him flexibility for his training and competition schedule.

He competes on the Spotlight team, sponsored by YoYoFactory, and is coached by Hunter Feuerstein, with additional coaching from 2024 US Pro Champion Justin Dauer.

In a little more than two years, Gan has gone from picking up his first yo-yo to competing on stages alongside established adult professionals.

His latest opportunity came in Osaka, where he joined an invitation-only field at King of Kings as the youngest competitor in the competition.

English-language updates from the King of Kings competition are available through the event’s Instagram page.

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