Shera Mae Patricio’s journey from the rugged landscapes of Waianae, Hawaii, to the polished rings of Team USA reads like an underdog story, minus the clichés. Wrestling with life’s curveballs, boxing wasn’t just a sport for her; it was a lifeline, with her family and a bunch of gloves in her corner.
The Patricio household was a mini boxing league, with Shera Mae leading the pack of eight. Her dad, Lyndon, once a sparring partner for Team USA, planted the boxing seed early. Shera Mae dabbled in everything from wrestling to backflips, but it was the sweet science that stole her heart after she nabbed her first national boxing win. That victory wasn’t just a win; it was an addiction to the thrill of triumph.
Boxing became more than a sport for the Hawaiian native; it was her ticket to putting Hawaii back on the boxing map. “Family and home,” she’d say, “are why I lace up my gloves.” She wasn’t just fighting opponents; she was fighting to reignite Hawaii’s boxing flame, dimmed since the early 2000s.
Her skills caught Team USA’s eye in 2018, and by 2019, she was stacking national titles like pancakes. But life outside the ring threw harder punches. The loss of her coach and second dad, Mark Aiwohi, in 2019, rocked her world.
The road took a darker turn in 2021 with a car accident that could’ve been a script from a Hollywood thriller. An electrician’s truck clipped her car, sending it into a terrifying tumble. Her sister, Sheelyn, bore the brunt, but the Patricio resilience shone through. Sheelyn’s comeback to the ring, placing second at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, was nothing short of a miracle.
Shera Mae, haunted yet unbroken, found solace in the ring’s solace, fighting not just for titles but for healing and pride. Boxing, she confessed, was her therapy, her escape, her way of standing tall amid the chaos.
Her path was strewn with doubts and internal battles, but her parents’ unwavering support was her anchor. “Stay focused,” they’d remind her, their belief in her unshaken.
As Shera Mae gears up for the Olympic qualifiers in Italy, she carries not just her dreams but those of Hawaii. Winning the Olympic Trials wasn’t the endgame; it was a checkpoint. Her eyes are now fixed on Paris, on a dream that’s bigger than herself—a dream of Olympic gold for Hawaii.