Renton resident Leilani Akiyama, 26, grew up in her stepfather’s studio, Judo Champions.

She remembers coming home after school to practice judo, weightlifting, running and learning technical fighting skills from coach and stepfather, John Holm.

“I love that judo is so unpredictable; anyone can win or lose on any day,” Akiyama said. “The way the rules are, a player can win or lose as soon as the clock starts. It can take seconds or minutes.”

Akiyama’s lifelong training and commitment to judo paid off. She won the first-place gold medal at the World Judo Championships held in Samoa last week. She says it is her parents who helped her achieve this accomplishment.

“My mom sacrificed so much of her life for my dreams,” Akiyama said. “I dedicate every win to her. My stepfather is the best technical coach and I wouldn’t be the fighter that I am today if it wasn’t for him.”

Judo is s a modern martial art, combat and Olympic sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the objective is to either throw or take down an opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue an opponent with a pin, or force an opponent to submit with a joint lock or a choke, explained Holm.

“Leilani is a great competitor,” Holm said. “She is as tough as some of the guys.”

Akiyama has been competing in judo since she was eight. She was junior national champion 24 times and junior international champion 20 times. She competed in the Samoa world cup in 2010 and took home a bronze medal.

“The hardest part about judo is trying to throw someone on their back that is trying to throw you,” she said. “You have to stay tough.”

To prepare for competitions, Akiyama trains twice a day, six days a week. She lifts weights or does a form of conditioning in the morning and practices judo at night.

Akiyama says this diligence is necessary if you want to do well in the competitions.

“When you get to the world level, almost everyone is going to be a tough fight,” she said.

Akiyama’s first match was against an opponent from Australia, the second Great Britain and her final match was against an opponent from New Zealand. “My second match (semi-finals), went into overtime,” she said. “The first person who scores wins the match. We fought in the Samoan heat and humidity for an extra match length and I was able to score and put myself into the finals. We were in an arena without air conditioning so we all were extra tired.”

Her goal is to make it onto the 2016 Olympic team.

“I am traveling and competing around the world to make the team,” Akiyama said. “I hope to make my mom and my country proud and represent the USA at the world’s biggest stage, the Olympic games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.”

With Akiyama’s first- place win at the Oceania Open, she is ranked 55th in the world. She states she still has a long way to go, in order to reach the Olympics, an athlete must make it to top 14th in the world for women and 22nd in the world for men by 2016.

Yet it isn’t her ability that makes Akiyama doubt if she can compete in the Olympics.

“The hardest part about competing in Judo is the financial toll on my parents and me,” she said. “Because we, athletes, have to pay for almost everything out of our own pocket, the costs of such really add up.”

Akiyama is not going to give up easily. She is working to not only meet her goals in Judo, but her financial goal as well.

“I’m always actively looking for sponsors and people wanting to help me reach my Olympic dream,” she said.