By Tanya Faulkner
One local athlete is making the journey from a suburban gym to the world stage.
Scarlett Mahoney, who trains muay thai out of World Fitness Cartel (WFC) in Ferntree Gully, has been selected to represent Australia in an upcoming tournament in Germany.
She will be competing at the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) tournament for muay thai and kickboxing, which she said has been very spur of the moment and exciting.
Ms Mahoney has been training at WFC gym in Ferntree Gully for several years, only taking it seriously earlier this year, and taking on fights across Victoria.
Coach, and owner of WFC Ferntree Gully, Dwayne Harris said her selection is a great opportunity for her fighting career.
“Scarlett is currently sitting at the top of her weight category against other girls around Victoria, and ticked all of the boxes to get selected,” he said.
Ms Mahoney said she was surprised to have been selected for the tournament.
“I didn’t believe Dwayne at first, I thought he was joking.
“It’s crazy to think that Dwayne would even consider me in the first place, let alone someone else selecting me,” she said.
Ms Mahoney said, after taking up muay thai a few years ago “on a whim” she never thought she would have stuck at it this long, let alone be going international in her career.
“It’s crazy how quickly it can flip your life around both mentally and physically,” she said.
Leading into the tournament, Ms Mahoney faces weeks of grueling training to build up her cardio, and technique, before heading to Germany for an elimination-style tournament, where the winners of each fight will compete for the top placings.
Ms Mahoney said she feels like she owes it to the gym to go into the tournament in her best form.
“I just want to give it my best shot.
I’ve been given this amazing opportunity so I want to just go in and give it my all,” she said.
Fellow WFC athlete Rhys Kirk said she is the “best of all evils” when it comes to her skill in the ring, and a good representation of the sport.
“We’ve partnered and sparred together; she’s quite fast moving, and whenever you go up against her you know you’re going to work, and can’t afford to slack off.
“She has really good technique and she’s a workhorse, which is very scary to be up against, and she helps to bring the female fight standard even higher in Victoria,” he said.
ISKA Victoria director Daniel den Braber said after seeing Ms Mahoney train and compete over her career, it was an easy decision to bring her onto the Australia team heading to Germany later this year.
“She has excellent style, mindset and toughness, and was exactly what we were looking for to compete at ISKA and represent Australia.
“She brings a really good package for the sport, and we’re glad to have her on the Australian team heading to Germany in October,” he said.
Ms Mahoney was one of five girls selected to compete from across Victoria.
ISKA is a world wide sanction that hosts championships each year, with athletes competing from all around the world.
“This year we expect between 7,500 and 8,000 athletes across several weight classes in muay thai and kickboxing to be attending the tournament in Germany,” he said.
He said Victoria especially has come a long way in the fighting scene, particularly in style and at the amateur level, preparing athletes for semi-pro or professional careers.
Mr Harris said last year, a girl from World Fitness Cartel in Chirnside was the winner of last years’ ISKA tournament.
He said the rest of the team have several fights coming up, including their club-famous Cartel Wars and the muay thai nationals later this year.
