THIS is a Poly Girl: Ivah Floyd

Her name is Luaiva La’au-Floyd. She goes by Ivah.

She’s training with one goal in mind: qualifying for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

Her story stretches from the villages of Nu’uli and Mapusaga in American Samoa to the platforms of Utah, where she built her life, her family, and her strength. The Olympics were never part of a childhood plan. It wasn’t something she mapped out years in advance. It showed up, presented to her as an opportunity, and she claimed it. 

Ivah’s journey began in a CrossFit gym, where she was first introduced to the snatch and the clean & jerk. What started as a way to stay active quickly turned into something more — she fell in love with Olympic weightlifting. In 2022, she committed fully, reaching out to Praxis Weightlifting in Utah to train under Coach Debbie Traeger. Within six months of focusing solely on the lifts, she entered her first local competition — simply to test herself.

She did well.

Next came USA Weightlifting Nationals where she took 3rd place on the podium.

Results like that don’t happen by accident. When you recognize what’s in front of you and commit to it, things move quickly. She’s competed at multiple local Utah meets, the Master’s National Championship, the IMWA World Championship, and the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau, where she placed 5th alongside athletes from fellow island nations.

Now the focus is on the biggest stage yet.

Rooted in Samoa. Built in Utah.

Ivah was born and raised in American Samoa. Her mother’s family is from Apolima and Lalomanu; her father’s from Lotofaga Safata and Safa’atoa Lefaga. That foundation shaped her long before sport ever did.

In a Samoan home, you learn early that you represent more than yourself. You respect your elders. You listen when you’re corrected. You show up consistently. Community matters. Feedback matters. Effort matters.

Her parents modeled that every day.

When challenges come, whether in competition or in life, Ivah leans on what was taught at home: perseverance over excuses, growth over comfort, and correction is received with respect. That foundation shows up every time she steps onto the platform, where she handles pressure, makes the adjustment, and stays focused on the long game.

Those early lessons traveled with her and have shaped how she established her life in Utah as a wife, a mother, a career woman, and an athlete. 

She and her husband, Devin Floyd, also an avid CrossFitter, have been married for 11 years. She works full time doing research in the Newborn ICU at the University Of Utah and is a published author in medical journals. Together they’re raising two boys, Alan Lene and Jaxon Toaolemoana.  They are her center. The reason she pushes. The reason she keeps perspective.

When she talks about balancing everything, she keeps it simple.

“One role at a time,” she says.

When she’s training, she trains. When she’s home, she’s mom. That rhythm keeps her grounded.

Devin holds it down when she’s at the gym, and for that, she’s deeply thankful. He makes space for her to train and compete, and she credits him fully. This pursuit works because they’re in it together.

The Path Leads Home

In 2025, Ivah made her international debut at the Pacific Mini Games in Koror, Palau, representing American Samoa in Olympic weightlifting. Around that same time, the American Samoa Weightlifting Federation selected her for its LA 2028 Scholarship program — a pathway created to prepare athletes for the Olympic cycle.

That invitation changed the scale of everything.

The scholarship provides access to higher-level competition and structured preparation for qualifiers. It also opens the door for something even more meaningful: the chance to relocate to American Samoa with Devin and the boys and train there as part of the national team.

For Ivah, that possibility carries weight.

To return home not just as a daughter of those villages, but as an athlete representing them — training on island soil with her family beside her — feels like a full-circle moment.

She’s still learning the system, still refining her lifts, still adjusting to the pace of international competition. But she’s in it fully now guided by coaches, supported by her family, and building toward 2028 with intention.

The best is still ahead.

Beyond the Platform

Outside of training, Ivah’s life is steady and grounded.

She reads whenever she can - she’s a sucker for a good book. She keeps up her cold plunges and sauna sessions. Most nights before bed, she writes down what she’s grateful for. Small habits. Daily discipline. The same consistency she brings to the gym.

Strength, to her, is about standing firm. It’s about choosing power, physically and mentally,  and owning it.

Ivah wears her story in how she speaks, how she shows up, and how she represents her family in every space she enters. She understands that people are watching and she carries herself in a way that reflects where she comes from and where she’s going.

And for women stepping into spaces where they don’t always see themselves reflected, she says it plainly:

“Don’t be afraid. You belong here. There’s a reason you’re in those spaces. Don’t feel like you’re too much.”

Looking Toward 2028

With 2028 in sight, the lifts are heavier. The work is more focused. The standards are higher. She still has to qualify. There are meets ahead, totals to increase, and rankings to earn. Nothing about this is automatic. It has to be earned one competition at a time.

And she’s doing exactly that.

That’s where the real beauty is. In the hard work. In showing up for qualifiers. In chasing a standard that stretches you.

While she’s doing that, other Poly Girls are watching. Watching a woman train, compete, adjust, and keep going. And somewhere, a girl who thought something felt out of reach starts to believe she can do hard things too.

Support the Journey

If her story speaks to you, there’s a way to stand behind it.

Ivah has a limited collaboration tee created for her road to 2028 — a piece that represents strength, discipline, and the courage to pursue something that stretches you.

She’s actively qualifying. Actively competing. Building toward the Olympic stage one lift at a time. Every purchase directly supports the training, travel, coaching, and preparation required to keep progressing.

Wearing it is a statement. It says you believe in this Poly Girl and you stand behind the climb, not just the spotlight.

Follow her, get your Road to LA 2028 Tee, and stand behind the journey.

Follow Along

If you’d like to follow her journey — the training sessions, the meets, the wins, and the lessons along the way — you can connect with Ivah here:

Instagram: @ivah_weightlifting
Facebook: Ivah La’au-Floyd
TikTok: @LuaivaFloyd