Silver Medal at the IFMA World Championship

I lost the fight against Russia. The day of the final came right after the fight with South Africa. My shins were badly bruised and my body was sore and tired. The evening before I relaxed in the sauna for 20 minutes and went to bed. My fight was scheduled the second in the day so I went to the venue early. I was surprised to fight a girl from Russia in the final. I imagined it would be a Thai girl. But the Thai lost to the Russian. I got to the venue and started to get ready. Everyone from the team was there for me and I was impressed with their support which made me feel stronger. I was the only one from team USA in the final and I needed to represent well. I used one of those sprays to numb my legs and not feel the pain of the injuries during the fight. After executing the ram muay I went to my corner to get my mouth piece and head gear. The referee was from Ukraine and it turned out she was making sure the Russian girl would win. The referee asked my corner to remove my anklets even though one of the judges signed her that the anklets were ok. The Russian girl was wearing them too and her trainer was fair and took hers off as well. The bell rang and the fight started. The Russian attacked with a series of punches. It was war. And I wasn’t going to make it easy for her. I tried to respect the game plan I made with my trainer and get in the clinch but the referee didn’t like that and she would break the clinch every time. It was frustrating but I couldn’t show it. After the first round I went to the corner and Joe told me to change the strategy. I did. It was working. We both fought our hearts out and I didn’t make it easy for the Russian girl nor did she for me. There was a moment somewhere between the first and second round where I felt something hard to define, like a switch almost that made me understand what a true warrior is, what it means to truly fight with all my heart, where victory was less important than the fight itself. It was a tough fight, it was a true war, a fight meant to be the final of a World championship. The moment they announced the Russian as the winner I felt disappointed but I knew I left it all in the ring. I had no regrets. The team was supportive and encouraging. It kept me strong. It was all over. I got the silver.

USA vs. South Africa

I advanced to the semifinal and my opponent was a girl from South Africa. Her previous fight was against England and I knew she was going to be a much tougher opponent and I had too many flaws in my last fight. The stakes were higher as the competition was coming to an end. All around I could see the fighters with broken noses, cut eyebrows and foreheads, some were walking in crutches and some (more fortunate) only limping. The emotions were running high and a lot of them had nervous breakdowns. Big men were crying like little boys. I watched a fighter spraying his swollen legs with a special solution that would numb the pain enough to get through the fight. Most teams were sponsored by their governments and they are paid salary for the rest of their lives if they return home with a medal. Therefore pain was only a temporary discomfort.

I wanted to fight well. I wanted to show what kind of fighter I was. I trained with Joe in the hallway in the hotel late evenings to keep my weight in check but mostly make the necessary adjustments. I went through ups and downs but I was ready for a good fight. I knew that if I listen to Joe and execute what he tells me I would not lose the fight. And didn’t lose the fight. I won and I qualified for the final. The South African girl was tough and my shins were injured from blocking her kicks. We both fought a good bout and I have a lot of respect for her. She is a very talented fighter. We ended up exchanging emails and taking pictures together.

I only had that evening to rest and get ready for the next day’s final.

USA vs. Turkey

The brackets were finally done and I was scheduled to fight a girl from Turkey on the 30th. So, I had 2 days to keep my weight in check and try to not be consumed by adrenaline. There were 9 girls in 51kg (112lb.) weight division. Every day was spent at the venue. Some of my teammates won and some lost. But no matter what the result was the team pulled together. The morning of the fight I woke up at 6:30 am to make sure I don’t have to cut any water weight. I was 4oz over and the idea of getting into the sweat suit was very unappealing. So I decided to wait a little. There are several tricks to get rid of a few ounces like spitting a few times and keep going to the bathroom and so on. At 7 a.m. I did the medical and the weigh in and I was at weight so that stress was over. I replenished my body with an electrolyte beverage and got some breakfast. I was scheduled to fight later in the day so I had a lot of time to kill until my fight. The two days before I had watched the girls from Turkey to get an idea about their fighting style. They come from a tae Kwan do background which makes them very unusual fighters. They are busy and chaotic and unexpected. I was nervous. My last fight was in July and I felt a little rusted. And the level here was much higher than anything I had experienced before. I knew she wasn’t going to hurt me and the physical pain was never an issues for me. I don’t fear. Joe gave me the pep talk and my confidence was raising. All fighters are a bit nervous before fights even though some don’t admit it and some would rather not acknowledge it. I got my rub down. After I warmed up a little I shyly whispered to Joe in confidence that I was doubting my conditioning. I had to fight 4 rounds for the first time ever (usually it’s 3 rounds). But I knew I was in better shape than ever. So, there were probably the nerves talking. The Turkish girl decided to play the intimidation game, something that happens a lot in this world and I personally despise it. She came in the room that I was warming up and started to hit pads. My entire team stopped to watch her and I saw the smiles on their face. They knew that poor manifestation of skills would have no effect on me. I smiled too. I knew the fight will be chaotic but I was ready. I got my gear on (we had to wear protective gear that the organization provided and being used by so many fighters the gear was sweaty and smelly). The entire team walked with me to the blue corner. After I did the ram muay the fight started. And it was chaotic as I suspected. She was swinging punches and kicks and back spinning elbows and it felt like they were all coming all at once. There was no power behind them but she was scoring a lot of points and I didn’t want to find myself left behind. So I forgot all about standing my ground and fighting Thai style and I fell into her rhythm. I won the fight but I was disappointed with my performance as well as Joe and Rambo who actually smacked my head and said to me: “No, miss, no!” and gave me a look so mean I was afraid he will beat me up. I found the Turkish girl hysterically crying in the bathroom and she hugged me and sobbed on my shoulder. My heart was breaking for her but I am glad it wasn’t breaking for myself. This is the game. One fighter had to lose and I was glad that wasn’t me. I had no injuries and my next opponent was going to be a girl from South Africa.

The world’s biggest Muaythai Championship has begun!!!

Team USA left the Fairtex Camp on Monday and before checking in the Alexander hotel in Bangkok we all went to the temple where a Buddhist monk blessed us. We did the medical and weight in that night after we sat in the sauna for a while trying to cut some last minute pounds. The rule is that we have to be at the weight every day we are scheduled to fight so every evening or morning people are running, skipping rope or training in their sweat suits on the terrace, in the hotel hallway or the stairway. The hotel seems nicer than it actually is and everything is overpriced in the honor of the event. The meals are buffet style but I skipped many due to weight maintenance. I still enjoyed the pineapple for it was one thing that I found impossible to resist.

The opening ceremony took place on Tuesday, nov. 27th at the Fashion Island Mall in Bangkok. The venue was located about 20-30 min. drive from the Alexander hotel. That morning Team USA got together to receive the uniforms and the mongkorns. The Mongkon is the traditional head band which is always worn by Muay Thai fighters. The Mongkon, or Muay Thai Head Ring, is a sacred object which the Master has ceremoniously blessed for the fighter. It is supposed to bring good luck to the fighter. Ancient warriors and fighters used to wear the Mongkons before any bout of combat because they believed it would bring them good luck and help them win the fight. This is a very old tradition. I have received mine from Nong Toom. That day only the A class male fights were scheduled to take place after the opening ceremony. Joe was going to fight the main event against a guy from Portugal. We also had another A class fighter competing that night.

We arrived at Fashion Island Mall around 1pm. The place was full of excited people with high hopes. The teams dressed in their country uniforms were making their way towards the top floor reserved for the event. I felt like I was in a movie. When I was a child I used to watch the Olympic games on TV and I was finally experiencing something pretty close to it. Teams from USA, Brazil, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, England, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kazakstan and more, filled the place. There were over 1,200 athletes, coaches and representatives of 100 countries.

After the teams paraded the music and dance show started followed by muay boran demonstrations (muay boran is the ancient form of muay thai). The day was getting long and we were getting tired and hungry. From that point on, every day turned out to be long and draining. But the first day ended with Joe’s victory over a very experienced fighter from Portugal so I was happy and grateful although exhausted and a bit nervous about my fight which was not scheduled at that time. The anticipation was consuming me and I was making efforts to stay focused and be patient.