A student at Rickmansworth School has battled her way to the very top of her fighting sport, becoming a world champion in her category at a world championship tournament in Thailand.
16-year-old Ellie Harber won gold in the under 18s 57 to 60 kg category at the International Federation of Muay Thai (IFMA) Championships.
As part of a highly successful GB tournament team, she contributed to an impressive medal haul of 5 golds, 2 silver and 4 bronzes.
Broadcast live to the world via YouTube and Facebook, Ellie kept her nerve to compete against some of the toughest fighters her age from around the world, even scoring a technical knock out (TKO) against an Iranian competitor in her semi-final.
The intense final with a sturdy Russian opponent was a well-matched affair, but Ellie gave it her all and won the bout, making her the new IFMA World Champion in her category.
Ellie said, “I was so pleased when I was selected for the GB team, and as I was one of the youngest in my category, just turning 16 in October, I was going for the experience, but I am so proud that my hard work with all my coaches has paid off. I love this sport and want to go as far as I can.
“The past 18 months has been hard for many people, and with any sportsperson it has been difficult in ensuring that you can continue to train.
“I have been extremely fortunate because even in the strictest lockdown my Dad stepped in and was my pad man, and I trained as soon as I could with my training partners.”
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