The Best Competition Yo-Yo: Why Champions Use the Olympus

The Olympus began with an idea I was told could not be made. But I’ve never backed down from a challenge before, and I wasn’t about to start now.

I’m Gentry Stein, and I’ve spent more than 20 years with a yo-yo in my hand. In that time, I’ve competed around the world, won two World titles and four U.S. National titles, taught thousands of players at every skill level and eventually started my own brand, YoYoChampion.

I’ve always loved yo-yo design, but over the last few years, that passion has grown into an obsession. I’ve realized how important it is for players to have the right yo-yo at every stage of their journey. When I started YoYoChampion, I made it my mission to create yo-yos that help players at every level, from making their first throw easier to helping them perform at their best on the world stage.

So when I began designing the Olympus, I wanted to bring everything I had learned as a player, competitor, teacher and designer into one flagship bimetal competition yo-yo. Bringing that vision to life took more than a year of development, testing and refinement.

In this guide, I’ll explain what makes a great competition yo-yo, the idea that made the Olympus different and how it went from a design I was told was impossible to a yo-yo trusted by some of the best players in the world.

What Makes a Good Competition Yo-Yo?

Before we get into what makes the Olympus different and why I believe it is the best competition yo-yo, it helps to understand what a competition yo-yo is actually designed to do.

When I use the term “competition yo-yo,” I am describing its level of performance, not the type of player who can use it. You do not need to compete or ever step onto a stage to use a yo-yo built to help you land some of the most advanced tricks in the world.

A good competition yo-yo is not simply the widest, heaviest or longest-spinning model. Every part of the design must work together to create the right balance of power, stability, speed, maneuverability and control.

How the Olympus Was Designed to Win Yo-Yo Competitions

During YoYoChampion’s first year, I designed a complete lineup of yo-yos with different purposes, from beginner models to advanced unresponsive designs. But there was still one important category missing: a flagship bimetal built for the highest level of competition.

I didn’t want to create a bimetal simply to fill that space. Over the years, I had played with and designed many bimetal yo-yos, and each one taught me more about what I wanted to create next. The Olympus became my opportunity to bring everything I had learned together and push bimetal yo-yo design in a new direction.

The Problem With Traditional Bimetal Weight Distribution

The biggest challenge I wanted to solve was a tradeoff in traditional bimetal design. Outer-rim bimetals place their stainless-steel weight farther from the center, while inner-rim bimetals bring more of that weight inward.

Moving stainless-steel weight toward the outer edge can produce incredible power, stability and spin time. However, concentrating too much weight there can also make the yo-yo feel rigid, create kickback and resist movement during tricks.

Bringing the weight closer to the center makes a yo-yo more agile and maneuverable, but it can sacrifice some of the stability and spin time competitors depend on.

Outer-rim and inner-rim bimetals therefore come with different strengths and compromises. I began wondering whether there was a way to distribute the weight across both areas and achieve a better balance between them.

Creating the Fusion Rim

That question followed me to the 2025 World Yo-Yo Contest in Prague, where I launched YoYoChampion and returned to the stage to recreate one of my World Championship-winning routines. Then, around 3:00 a.m. the night after the contest, I sketched the first concept for what would become the defining feature of the Olympus: the YoYoChampion Fusion Rim.

Building the Design Manufacturers Said Was Impossible

When I began contacting manufacturers about producing the Fusion Rim, I was repeatedly told it couldn’t be done. The design was too intricate, the necessary tooling wasn’t available or the rim simply wasn’t going to work.

I could have simplified the design, but that would have meant compromising the Fusion Rim. Instead, I kept refining it and solving each manufacturing challenge until the first prototype was finally made.

To my surprise, that prototype was already about 70% of the way to what I had imagined.  The Fusion Rim worked, but the Olympus was not finished. I then spent the next eight months refining the design until it became the yo-yo I had originally envisioned.

Putting the Olympus to the Test

The result is a yo-yo that moves effortlessly, without the lag, kickback or “rock on the string” feeling that some extreme power-focused bimetals can create. I compare it to a mid-engine supercar: powerful and stable, but also balanced and responsive when it needs to change direction.

You can watch me put the Olympus through an advanced horizontal trick to see its speed, power, stability and maneuverability in action.

That added maneuverability raised an important question. Had I made the yo-yo easier to move by sacrificing too much spin time?

I set a goal of breaking a 10-minute sleeper. On the first throw of that test, the Olympus spun for more than 12 minutes. Sleeper time alone does not determine how well a yo-yo will perform in competition, but the test confirmed that the Fusion Rim could maintain extreme spin performance while giving the Olympus the more agile feeling I wanted.

The final dimensions also contribute to that balance. At 56 mm in diameter, 58 mm wide and 67.8 grams, the Olympus has a wide competition profile without feeling unnecessarily large in the hand. Its shape remains comfortable, while the reduced inner volume helps limit string contact and friction during tricks.

Testing 6061 Against 7075 Aluminum

The first Olympus prototype was made from 6061 aluminum, and I loved how it felt from the beginning. However, I didn’t want to make the final material decision without also testing the design in 7075.

People sometimes talk about 7075 as though it is automatically better than 6061. In reality, neither material is universally better. They produce different characteristics, and the right choice depends on the design.

I initially thought I might prefer the 7075 Olympus. But after throwing both prototypes back to back, the answer became clear. The 7075 version felt too rigid and lost some of the character that made the original prototype special.

The 6061 version had a softer, more comfortable feel that complemented the Fusion Rim. It preserved the personality of the Olympus and made it more enjoyable for me to play. Choosing 6061 was not a compromise. It was the aluminum that best completed the design I wanted to create.

Adding POM for Performance and Visibility

The Olympus is a tri-material yo-yo that combines aluminum, stainless steel and POM plastic. The POM components appear on both the outside and inside of the yo-yo, providing performance and visual benefits beyond their appearance.

POM has a lower level of friction than aluminum. When the string rubs against the inner POM ring while the yo-yo is spinning, the lower-friction surface helps prevent the Olympus from losing spin as quickly.

The contrasting materials also create visible guidelines while the Olympus is moving. From the player’s perspective, the differences between the POM, aluminum and stainless steel make it easier to see where the yo-yo is landing on the string.

Every part of the Olympus was designed around the same goal: creating the power and stability expected from a flagship bimetal without losing the maneuverability, comfort and character that make a yo-yo enjoyable to play.

Watch the video below to see the complete story behind the Olympus, from the first Fusion Rim concept and prototype to the finished yo-yo.

Olympus Competition Yo-Yo Features and Specifications

Every feature of the Olympus was designed to work together. Rather than maximizing a single measurement, the goal was to balance the power, stability, speed, maneuverability and control required for advanced tricks and competition-level play.

Fusion Rim: A combined outer- and inner-rim stainless-steel design that places weight across two areas, balancing power, stability and spin time with maneuverability.

Tri-material construction: The Olympus combines 6061 aluminum, stainless steel and POM plastic, with each material contributing to its performance and feel.

56 mm diameter and 58 mm width: These proportions give the Olympus a wide competition profile and balanced feel without making it feel unnecessarily large in the hand.

67.8-gram weight: Provides a balanced overall feel while remaining below the 70-gram limit I prefer for competition yo-yos.

Reduced inner volume: Limits string contact and friction to help the Olympus remain stable during tricks.

Inner POM ring: Creates a lower-friction contact surface that helps prevent the Olympus from losing spin as quickly when the string rubs against its side.

Contrasting POM components: Create visible guidelines that help players see where the Olympus is landing on the string.

19 mm slim response pads: Provide the response system used to bind and return the Olympus to the hand. Learn more about how yo-yo response pads work.

Every part of the Olympus was designed around the same goal: creating the power, spin time and stability expected from a flagship without losing the maneuverability, comfort and character that make a yo-yo enjoyable to play.

The Story Behind the Olympus Name and Colorways

The physical design was only one part of what I wanted the Olympus to become. Choosing a yo-yo is more than choosing a set of specifications. It is choosing the tool you will take with you as you work toward becoming the best player you can be.

I wanted the Olympus to symbolize that journey. In Greek mythology, Mount Olympus was the home of the gods and the ultimate peak. It felt like the perfect name for a yo-yo built to represent what players can reach through dedication, sacrifice and passion.

There is not one way to reach that peak. Every champion relies on different strengths, which is why each Olympus colorway represents a different Greek god.

Zeus, ruler of Olympus, features an onyx black body with prismatic stainless steel rims. Ares, the god of war, is Thomas Rajan’s signature edition, with a ruby red body and obsidian black rims. Hermes, the messenger of the gods, is James Heder’s signature edition, with an amber orange body and sapphire blue rims. As the Olympus lineup continues to grow, each new god brings a different identity and energy to the journey. 

I wanted that story to be present from the moment someone opened the box.

The Olympus Unboxing Experience

Every part of the unboxing experience was designed to make opening it feel as special as the yo-yo itself.

Each Olympus arrives inside a premium YoYoChampion box wrapped in an outer sleeve featuring the signature Olympus cloud design. Opening the magnetic lid reveals a collector card created for that specific colorway. The front features the name of the Greek god it represents alongside a reflective emblem, while a hidden message waits on the back.

Beneath the card, the Olympus rests inside a custom foam insert that protects the yo-yo and presents it exactly as intended. From the outer sleeve and magnetic box to the collector card and placement of the yo-yo itself, every detail was designed to bring the world of Olympus to life before the player makes their first throw.

You can watch the complete Olympus unboxing experience, from removing the cloud-inspired sleeve to revealing the collector card and yo-yo inside.

What Makes the Olympus a Championship-Winning Yo-Yo?

When the Olympus finally launched, the response was immediate. The first three colorways sold out within 24 hours, followed by a second sold-out release. More Olympus releases have followed, and current colorways and availability can be found here.

But that was only the beginning. Soon, players around the world were using the Olympus to land their hardest tricks, push their skills further and discover what they were capable of doing with a yo-yo. Members of the YoYoChampion competition team also began taking the Olympus onto stages around the world.

The YoYoChampion Team 

The Olympus is used across the official YoYoChampion team, from national and international champions competing on the world’s biggest stages to creators focused on developing new tricks and pushing their skills. Each team member has chosen the Olympus to help them pursue a different goal, from winning championships to creating new tricks and pushing their skills further.

Thomas Rajan: 2026 U.S. National Champion

Thomas Rajan competes with his signature Ares Olympus, featuring a ruby-red body and obsidian-black stainless-steel rims.

Thomas used the Olympus to win the 1A division at the 2026 U.S. National Yo-Yo Contest. He later competed with it at the 2026 World Yo-Yo Contest, where he placed fourth in the world.

Watching a player as talented and dedicated as Thomas win Nationals with a yo-yo I had spent more than a year developing was one of the most rewarding moments of the entire Olympus journey.

James Heder: Fifth in the World

James Heder competes with his signature Hermes Olympus, featuring an amber-orange body with sapphire-blue rims. He used it to place fifth at the 2026 World Yo-Yo Contest, finishing directly behind Thomas.

Thomas and James reached the world’s top five with the same underlying Olympus design, but each brought his own strengths, tricks and competitive style to it. Their results showed that the Olympus could support different approaches to championship-level play rather than being designed around only one player or freestyle.

Kacper and Maciej Pałatyński

The Olympus is also used by brothers Kacper and Maciej Pałatyński.

Kacper is a European Champion and multiple-time Polish National Champion, while Maciej in the photos above is the 2026 European Junior Champion. Both are preparing to compete with the Olympus at the Polish National Yo-Yo Contest in October 2026.

Bentley: The First Official YoYoChampion Creator

Bentley was the first official creator to join YoYoChampion and represents another side of what the Olympus was built for.

Competition performance is one way to push a yo-yo to its limits, but creativity, trick development and the enjoyment of playing matter just as much. Bentley shows that choosing the Olympus does not require pursuing a ranking or championship title.

Played by Yo-Yo Players Around the World

The Olympus has also reached far beyond the official team. Players around the world now use it to compete, build combinations, learn advanced tricks and simply enjoy playing at a higher level.

Some are preparing for major contests. Others may never step onto a competition stage. What connects them is the desire to keep developing their skills and discover what they are capable of doing with a yo-yo.

Is the Olympus the Right Competition Yo-Yo for You?

The Olympus was designed to help players take on some of the hardest yo-yo tricks in the world. But that level of performance is not only for competitors.

The Olympus is an advanced yo-yo for players who are comfortable with unresponsive yoyoing and want to push their skills further. It is built to keep up as your tricks become more difficult and can give you the confidence to attempt new ideas, develop your abilities and work toward tricks you may not have believed were possible.

You might use it to prepare a championship freestyle, create tricks no one has seen before or finally land a combination you have been working toward for months.

Becoming a Champion Is About the Journey, Not the Trophy

At YoYoChampion, our motto is simple: Show up. Never give up. Lift others up.

To us, becoming a champion is about the journey, not the trophy. Trophies can recognize achievements, but champions are shaped by the hours no one sees, the setbacks they overcome and the choice to keep showing up. Along the way, they lift others up with them.

The peak looks different for everyone. For one player, it may be winning a world title. For another, it may be learning their first advanced trick, creating something original or becoming better than they were yesterday.

There is no single way to reach Olympus. What matters is continuing the climb.

Frequently Asked Questions About Professional and Competition Yo-Yos

Professional and competition yo-yos come in many different materials, shapes and designs. Below are answers to common questions about the yo-yos professional players use, what makes a good competition yo-yo and whether a monometal, bimetal, hybrid or tri-material model is right for you.

What yo-yos do professional players use?

Professional yo-yo players use unresponsive yo-yos, which spin freely at the end of the string and return with a bind. Different materials and designs serve different purposes, so professionals may change yo-yos depending on the tricks they are performing, their playing style or the experience they want that day.

For example, the DNA King is designed for fingerspin tricks, the Super G is a versatile monometal and the Nine Dragons has free-spinning outer shells that players can hold during tricks. For high-level competition, YoYoChampion’s two flagship models are the hybrid G Force and the tri-material bimetal Olympus. Both were designed by 2× World Yo-Yo Champion Gentry Stein for advanced tricks and competition-level performance.

What is a bimetal yo-yo?

A bimetal yo-yo is made with two different metals, typically an aluminum body fitted with stainless-steel rims. Because stainless steel is denser than aluminum, designers can control the yo-yo’s weight distribution by concentrating more mass in specific areas.

Traditional outer-rim bimetals place the stainless-steel weight farther from the center to generate greater power, stability and spin time. However, concentrating too much weight there can make the yo-yo feel rigid, create kickback and resist movement during tricks. Inner-rim bimetals bring more weight toward the center, making the yo-yo feel more agile and maneuverable but potentially sacrificing some stability and spin time.

The Olympus was designed to address this tradeoff. Its unique Fusion Rim distributes stainless-steel weight across an outer section for power, stability and spin time and a vertical drop-down section that brings part of the weight inward for maneuverability and balance. The Olympus also adds POM components to its aluminum and stainless-steel construction, making it a tri-material bimetal yo-yo.

What is a tri-material yo-yo?

A tri-material yo-yo combines three different materials, with each selected for a specific purpose. The Olympus uses 6061 aluminum for its main body, stainless steel for the Fusion Rim and POM plastic on the inside and outside of the yo-yo.

During prototype testing, I chose 6061 aluminum because it gave the Olympus the softer, more comfortable feel I wanted. The stainless-steel Fusion Rim controls the weight distribution to balance power, stability, spin time and maneuverability. Because POM has less friction than aluminum, the inner POM helps prevent the Olympus from losing spin as quickly when the string rubs against its side.

The Olympus also has reduced inner volume, which limits string contact and friction to help it remain stable during tricks. Finally, the contrast between the POM, aluminum and stainless steel creates visible guidelines that help players see where the yo-yo is landing on the string.

What makes a good competition yo-yo?

A good competition yo-yo is an unresponsive yo-yo designed to balance power, stability, spin time, speed, maneuverability and control. It should provide a wide catch zone for difficult string hits, remain stable during long or horizontal combinations and move quickly without feeling rigid or difficult to redirect.

The widest, heaviest or longest-spinning yo-yo is not automatically the best for competition. Its shape, dimensions, materials and weight distribution must work together, and the ideal balance depends on the player’s tricks and style. A competition yo-yo can be monometal, hybrid, bimetal or tri-material as long as the complete design delivers the performance and predictability the player needs onstage.

YoYoChampion’s leading competition yo-yos include the Shutter, Shutter Wide Angle, Super G, G Force and Olympus. These models offer different materials, dimensions and playing characteristics, allowing competitors to choose the design that best supports their individual tricks and performance style.

Are wider yo-yos better for competition?

The best competition yo-yo is neither unnecessarily wide nor too narrow. It should be wide enough to provide a forgiving catch zone for difficult string hits, hooks and horizontal tricks without becoming uncomfortable or difficult to maneuver.

A yo-yo that is too narrow gives the player a smaller target and can make high-risk tricks harder to land consistently. However, making a yo-yo extremely wide can cause it to feel bulky in the hand, make fast direction changes or compact technical tricks more difficult and create compromises in its weight distribution. Width alone does not determine stability, power or spin time.

The best width depends on how the entire design works together, including the diameter, shape, total weight and placement of that weight. The Olympus measures 58 mm wide with a 56 mm diameter, giving it a wide competition catch zone, while its reduced inner volume and Fusion Rim help maintain the power, stability and maneuverability needed for advanced play.

Are bimetal yo-yos better than monometal yo-yos?

Bimetal yo-yos can provide performance advantages over monometals, but they are not automatically better for every player. Their dense stainless-steel rims allow designers to concentrate more weight in specific areas, which can produce greater power, stability and spin time. However, bimetal yo-yos are usually more expensive because combining separate metal components makes them more complex to design and manufacture.

A well-designed monometal can still deliver exceptional competition-level performance at a more affordable price. I designed the Super G to give players an accessible monometal with the power, stability and spin time often associated with high-performance bimetals. Its 56 mm width provides a large catch zone for difficult tricks, while the complete design keeps it agile enough for modern technical and horizontal play without feeling unnecessarily sluggish.

For players seeking YoYoChampion’s flagship competition yo-yo, the Olympus goes further. Its Fusion Rim distributes stainless-steel weight across an outer section for power, stability and spin time and an inward-extending section for maneuverability and balance. Its inner shape is cut away to reduce string contact and friction, while the inner POM creates a lower-friction surface that helps prevent the yo-yo from losing spin as quickly when the string rubs against its side. The contrast between the POM, aluminum and stainless steel also creates visible guidelines that help players see where the Olympus is landing on the string.

I won both of my World Yo-Yo Contest titles using monometal yo-yos and one of my U.S. National titles using an unresponsive plastic yo-yo. Since then, players I have worked with have won competitions using hybrid and bimetal designs. Those results have reinforced something I have learned throughout my career: the right yo-yo can support a player’s performance, but the material alone does not make someone a champion. The best choice is the design that fits the player’s tricks, preferences and goals.

What is the best yo-yo for competition?

The best yo-yo for competition is an unresponsive model that matches the player’s tricks, speed and preferred feel. It should provide the power, stability and spin time needed to complete a freestyle while remaining maneuverable, comfortable and predictable under pressure.

For players seeking YoYoChampion’s highest-performing competition design, the Olympus is its flagship tri-material bimetal yo-yo. Its wide profile, Fusion Rim, reduced inner volume and lower-friction POM components were designed to balance power, stability, spin time and maneuverability. Thomas Rajan used the Olympus to win the 2026 U.S. National Yo-Yo Contest and place fourth at the 2026 World Yo-Yo Contest, while James Heder used it to place fifth in the world.

However, the Olympus is not the only yo-yo capable of winning a competition. The Shutter, Shutter Wide Angle, Super G and hybrid G Force are also competition-level options with different materials and playing characteristics. The best choice is the yo-yo that complements the player’s style and gives them the most confidence in their routine.

How heavy should a competition yo-yo be?

There is no single perfect weight for every competition yo-yo, but I generally prefer to keep them under 70 grams. A competition yo-yo needs enough weight to generate power, stability and spin time without becoming tiring, sluggish or difficult to maneuver through fast combinations.

Total weight is only part of the equation. Where that weight is positioned can have an even greater effect on how the yo-yo performs. Two yo-yos with the same weight can feel completely different depending on their diameter, width, shape and weight distribution.

The Olympus weighs 67.8 grams, keeping it below my preferred 70-gram limit while giving its wide, tri-material design a powerful and balanced feel. Its Fusion Rim distributes that weight across outer and inward-extending sections so the Olympus can maintain stability and spin time without sacrificing the maneuverability needed for competition tricks.