Wrestlers · Career complete
Leia Kawaii
1989 World silver medalist on the first U.S. women's World Team; 2x U.S. World Team member
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 23, 2026
Leia Kawaii wrestled on the first U.S. women's World Team. The first Women's World Championships recognized by United World Wrestling were held in 1987 in Lorenskog, Norway, without the United States. USA Wrestling sent its first women's team to the 1989 World Championships in Martigny, Switzerland, and started its women's program that year.
At the World Championships in Martigny she won silver at 70 kg, about 154 pounds. She was one of five U.S. women on the team. Afsoon Roshanzamir took bronze at 47 kg and Asia DeWeese silver at 50 kg. Across all three styles the U.S. won 10 World medals in 1989, tying the national record for one year, a mark that stood until 2018.
She returned to the World Championships in 1991 in Tokyo, Japan, and placed sixth at 75 kg. USA Wrestling lists her among seven U.S. women on that team. American Women's Wrestling notes that U.S. women then had no national team stipends and no women's national team coach. Her 1989 World silver medal stands in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's timelines of African American and women's wrestling history.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Senior | World Championships, Martigny, Switzerland | 70 kg | 2nd | The first Women's World Championships the U.S. entered. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame's 1989 entry names her the first African-American woman to win a World medal, but its 2001 entry gives that first to Toccara Montgomery. USA Wrestling's World Team history lists the class as 154 pounds. |
| 1991 | Senior | World Championships, Tokyo, Japan | 75 kg | 6th | Her second U.S. World Team. USA Wrestling's World Team history lists the class as 165 pounds. |
What we could not confirm
Anything not on this page, a high school record, a final score, a season, was left out because no primary source stated it when this was written. If you have a bracket, a program, or a clipping, send it to the operator, Joe Spisak, at joe@spisak.co and the page gets the number.
Sources
- https://nwhof.org/national-wrestling-hall-of-fame/women-s-wrestling-experience · National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Women's Wrestling Experience timeline. Her silver medal at 70 kg at the 1989 World Championships in Martigny, Switzerland, which its 1989 entry calls the first World Championship medal by an African-American female wrestler, and her sixth place in 1991. Its 2001 entry gives that first to Toccara Montgomery.
- https://nwhof.org/national-wrestling-hall-of-fame/african-american-wrestling-experience · National Wrestling Hall of Fame, African American Wrestling Experience timeline. The same 1989 silver medal at 70 kg in Martigny, filed under 1989, and her return to the World Championships in 1991 for sixth place.
- https://www.themat.com/team-usa/world-team-history · USA Wrestling's World Team history. The 1989 women's team in Martigny with her second place at 154 pounds among five U.S. women, and the 1991 women's team in Tokyo with her sixth place at 165 pounds among seven.
- https://nwhof.org/news/50-u-s-women-s-wrestling-milestones-to-celebrate-50th-anniversary-of-title-ix · National Wrestling Hall of Fame, 50 milestones of U.S. women's wrestling. The first recognized Women's World Championships in Lorenskog, Norway, in 1987 without the U.S., USA Wrestling's first women's World Team in Martigny in 1989, and the three U.S. medals, including her silver at 70 kg.
- https://nwhof.org/news/usa-wrestling-sets-senior-level-record-with-12-medals · USA Wrestling on the National Wrestling Hall of Fame site, October 2018. The 10 U.S. World medals of 1989 across all three styles, including her silver at 70 kg, a total that tied the U.S. record of 10, which stood until 12 medals in 2018.
- https://www.americanwomenswrestling.com/news/african-american-pioneers-in-womens-wrestling · American Women's Wrestling, March 2020, on African-American pioneers in women's wrestling. Her two World Championships, silver at 70 kg in 1989 and sixth at 75 kg in 1991, the lack of stipends and a women's national coach then, and her later move into professional wrestling.
- https://nwhof.org/news/national-wrestling-hall-of-fame-unveils-new-exhibit-women-in-wrestling-a-legacy-inspiring-generations · National Wrestling Hall of Fame, on its Women in Wrestling exhibit. The 1989 World Championships as the first Women's Worlds the U.S. entered, with silver medals for Asia de Weese and her.
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