“I WAS a victim of bullying when I was in Year One. Since then, I told myself that I want to be able to defend myself better,” says Nur Amisha Azril Rizal, 15.
Today, nobody wants to mess with Nur Amisha. Last year, she won a gold medal at the Muay Thai World Junior Championship in Bangkok.
Being a victim of bullying during her childhood fuelled Nur Amisha’s determination to win the gold medal in the championship, although her opponent was ranked No. 1 in the world.
“Nothing is impossible if we work hard. For me, it is not just about the medal. I have won many Muay Thai championships since I was 8 years old, and I can see that people no longer see me as weak and powerless. I have earned respect from the boys who used to bully me.
“Because of my achievements, they have learned how to respect me as a woman. That is all I want — respect,” says the student of SMK Gunung Rapat in Ipoh.
Her determination to become a Muay Thai fighter was first acknowledged by her father, Azril Rizal, who is also her manager and Perak Muay Thai Amateur Association manager.
From age 7, Nur Amisha has been a familiar face at the Ipoh Muay Thai Academy, which opened in 2011.
“I was initially upset as my father wanted to train my youngest brother when he took us to the grand opening of the academy.
“I asked him why I couldn’t be trained to be a fighter, too. I was so keen to be in the ring when I saw older fighters during training.”
Her father gave in, which saw her quickly embracing the demands and challenges of the martial art seriously.
Azril later got her gloves that fit as well as other sporting gear.
Nur Amisha trains under Iban fighter Bernard Radin, 44, whose ring name is Head Hunter. He is head coach for the national Muay Thai team for the Sea Games.
Radin was the one who noticed her talents during her first sparring session at the academy and had told her father to let her train seriously.
Since then, the gym became Nur Amisha’s second home. She goes for training sessions after school on most days.
It didn’t take long before she won many competitions, including school-level national Muay Thai competitions, which made her eligible to be chosen to represent Malaysia in Bangkok last year.
But her mother got worried. She had objected to her daughter’s involvement in an extreme sport, but became supportive after seeing the positive result it had on Nur Amisha.
“After my father, my biggest supporter is my mother. She always reminds me to maintain my stamina and gives her blessing before a fight,” says Nur Amisha.
She has achieved many things, but Nur Amisha had a rough start in the sport. She was forced to stop training for a year when she was diagnosed with vertigo at 12.
“I still went to the gym and academy to see my friends train, but it was the saddest moment in my life.
“Watching them train and not being able to put on my gloves and gear was very hard. For a while, I could only sit on the bench and watch because of my condition, which affects my balance.”
Following treatment, she recovered. It didn’t take long before she asked her parents to let her get back into the ring.
“Starting again was challenging. I had to pick up from where I left off. It felt like I had to start all over again.”
Nur Amisha’s achievements in the sport have inspired many of her friends and other young women to take up Muay Thai.
“I welcome anybody who wants to join, but I tell them that it’s important to have their parents’ support because of the training schedule.”
She says she is grateful to have supportive parents. “Most of my friends are proud of what I have achieved. Some of them feel threatened by my achievements, but I’m sure they’ll get over it and be happy for me,” she says with a smile.
Nur Amisha, who aspires to become a police officer, will sit the PT3 examination this year.
“Dividing my time between training and studying is challenging.
“But I can do it because strong discipline is key to becoming successful in the sport. I have no trouble juggling the two.
“I’m always pumped during training, which keeps my mind and body alert. It helps with my studies.”
Nur Amisha starts training at 6pm daily, after tuition classes. Her father accompanies her until the training ends. “I get home at 9pm and do some revision before sleeping at 11pm.” When asked about her goals, she says she is focused on retaining her title this year and acing the PT3 examination.
And she hopes to win more championships. “To girls out there who want to learn Muay Thai, all you need is passion and determination,” she added.