'Relentless' five selected for Muay Thai world championship
Five young people from Relentless Martial Arts and Fitness Centre in Mullingar have been selected to represent Ireland in the IFMA Muay Thai World Championships in Abu Dhabi in September.
It is the biggest international Youth Muay Thai event and there are hundreds of entries. Ireland has a good record in the event, and Relentless members have won titles in previous years.
Muay Thai is not a funded sport in Ireland and the club and the members selected for the Ireland team, and their families, are working on raising funds to cover their costs between now and September.
The five are, Eva Barron, the youngest, age 10, Davin Dalton, Artem Rudenko, from Ukraine, who has been with Relentless for the last two years, Kayden Dalton, who was world champion in her age category last year’, in Thailand; and Filip Tomka, from Slovakia, training with Relentless for five years.
Alan McCormack is the coach at the Mullingar club, and also for the Irish squad. “Once a month for the last year, they’ve been training with the Irish team, here in Mullingar and in Waterford. There are 13 on the Irish team – the five from Mullingar, five from Waterford and three from Carlow. “It’s not that big,” said Alan, “there are two or three organisations in Ireland and the one we’re in is not big, but the world championship we go to is the biggest.”
Alan has been involved with the national Muay Thai team for only two years, but he’s aiming to grow the sport across the country, and get more clubs signed up.
“It’s not recognised yet by Sport Ireland, so we don’t get any funding, so that’s why some of the families are doing their own fundraising.
“Last year we went over and got three medals, a gold, a silver, and a bronze, and they’ve been putting a lot of hard work in, so I’m sure we’re going to get really good results this year as well.”
The youngest member of the team, Eva Barron spoke to the Westmeath Examiner about her training and preparation for the tournament.
“I’ve been doing it for six years,” she said, “I’m in the age 10, 32kg category. I train five days a week, an hour each day, every day except weekends.”
It is Eva’s first time to represent Ireland and she is focused on being ready to put in a good performance in September. “Once a month we have training on a Sunday, when other gyms in the Irish Muay Thai Council come together, and sometimes I run once a week.”
Eva thanked her mother and father, Clara and Owen and her brother Corey for their support, Alan her coach and the other members at Relentless, and said she is raising funds and seeking sponsorship to help cover the cost of her trip.