Funda Diken, Turkey - I took this photograph just after she won silver at the muaythai EMF / IFMA European Championships, but you can see from her face that she's more thinking she lost gold.
We spoke later, and she said:
Thanks to my success in muaythai I’ve had the privilege of going to university. I feel the sport has done so much for me physically and spiritually.
I started muaythai quite late at 21. At first they said I was female and fragile but I insisted. Just decide on something for yourself, and you can do it.
My dad used to watch martial arts films with me, this made me interested and I used to pretend fight with my friends! Now I’ve had 300 amateur fights.
Now I’m a physical education school teacher. Because of muaythai I have full trust in myself , feel very confident and so happy about how people treat me. I get many nice compliments which I believe I owe to muaythai!
When I travelled abroad I saw muaythai is not only a male sport; there are many female fighters. And there are even females who perform better muaythai than men!
Some people say women must not fight. I believe this is because they themselves lack courage. If someone tells me I shouldn't fight; I answer them by continuing to fight better and trying for more success.
This is part of the Humans of IFMA #humansofIFMA muaythai project
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