The fitness community is mourning the death of a beloved Ohio bodybuilder, powerlifting coach, and mother who was shot and killed inside a suburban home just hours after competing in what would become her final event.
Amanda Wakut, 33, was found dead early Sunday morning inside a home on Chesterland Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio, according to police.
Officers were called to the home around 4:30 a.m., where they discovered Wakut and a second victim, 35-year-old Richard Eastin of Cleveland, dead in the kitchen.
Police said a 45-year-old Fairview Park man had called his ex-wife and told her he had shot two people at the home and planned to shoot himself.
When officers arrived, they reportedly saw a pickup truck speeding away from the scene and began chasing it.
The suspect eventually stopped on Warren Road, got out of the vehicle with a handgun, and shot himself, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Wakut’s death came just hours after she competed Saturday at the Battle At The Bridge Regional Competition. Friends and family now know it was the last time she would ever take the stage.
She leaves behind her 7-year-old son, Landyn.
A GoFundMe campaign created after her death described Wakut as a devoted mother who loved her son more than anything.
“Amanda loved her son Landyn more than anything,” the fundraiser said. “She not only taught him how to be strong, but all of her clients, friends, and loved ones.”
The tribute said Wakut was known for her smile, her humor, and her ability to help people become better versions of themselves.
“She helped the people around her be better,” the fundraiser continued. “Whether that was in perfecting their form, demonstrating dedication, determination, and excellence, or simply showing up when you needed a friend.”
Wakut was also remembered as a loyal friend who always had a helping hand or a joke ready when someone needed it most.
According to an online obituary, Wakut was a powerlifting coach who trained with Full Send Powerlifting and had built a devoted community of clients and fellow athletes in the Cleveland area.
Full Send Powerlifting shared an emotional tribute on Instagram after her death.
“I’ve been staring at this screen for a long time, trying to find the right words. There are none,” the gym wrote. “I wish with everything I have that I didn’t have to write this post. But, I know she deserves my words and my love and your support. We lost Amanda.”
The gym called Wakut “our coach, our friend, our beacon,” and said she showed up for everyone around her with love, energy, and heart.
“She was one of a kind, and the world is a dimmer place without her in it,” the tribute said.
The gym is now collecting photos, videos, and memories of Wakut so they can be saved for Landyn as he grows up.
A GoFundMe created to help cover funeral expenses and provide financial support for her son has raised more than $24,000.
Before becoming known in the bodybuilding and powerlifting world, Wakut was also a standout basketball player at Normandy High School. Her playing career later ended before she turned her focus to bodybuilding and powerlifting.
Since her death, tributes have poured in from friends, family, clients, and fellow athletes who remembered Wakut as strong, funny, loving, and deeply devoted to her son.
