Latest news with #ThaiBoxing
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Rachael Mackenzie launches Youth Sport Trust's National School Sports Week
British boxing champion Rachael Mackenzie highlighted the transformational power of sport as she helped to launch the Youth Sport Trust's National School Sports Week on Monday. The Thai boxing world champion was attending a day full of activity at Dame Dorothy Primary School in Sunderland as part of the campaign promoting the importance of daily physical activity by encouraging schools, families, and communities to engage in 60 minutes of PE, sport, and play. Advertisement Mackenzie took part in a Q&A with pupils and got stuck into activities, including hockey sessions led by the pupils, knowing firsthand the power sport has to positively impact lives. 'Sport for me as an individual was transformational. I was a fairly inactive teenager, and I found my sport of Thai boxing at 18 years of age having come through some really significant mental health problems,' she explained. 'It was actually finding sport and learning to thrive in that environment that taught me how to manage my own mental health because sport's a great place for children to learn to fail but also to learn their strengths. 'Personally, it was sport that gave me that robustness and resilience to be able to cope with life really and to cope with everything that life throws at you.' Advertisement Now, Mackenzie is passing on that impact of sport as a Youth Sport Trust Athlete Mentor with the need for the awareness of the positive impact of sport greater than ever. Research shows that less than a third of teachers and parents are currently aware that children and young people should be active for 60 minutes a day. 'It's really important for kids to remain active over the course of the day because it's one of the foundations of normal brain development,' said Mackenzie. 'Active children have happier, healthier, bigger brains, brains that are primed for learning. We see in brain imaging but also in results for young people that those children who are active outperform those inactive young people. Advertisement 'So young people who meet those recommended daily 60 minutes actually perform better academically. We see that those children are more productive and, most importantly for me, those children are happier.' Dame Dorothy Primary School are setting the standard for schools looking to incorporate more movement into their school day with an 'always active uniform' that allows children to move freely throughout the day and a perimeter path for children to go on runs at school. 'It's a real joy to be here at Dame Dorothy for the start of National School Sports Week,' added Mackenzie. 'The opportunities for the children here are absolutely outstanding but what I have loved more than anything is the energy and the enthusiasm of the young people themselves.' National School Sports Week is an annual campaign by the Youth Sport Trust, dedicated to celebrating the power of PE, sport, and play to build brighter futures. This year, powered by Sports Direct x Under Armour, marks the 30th anniversary of the Youth Sport Trust, who is a UK leading children's charity for improving young people's wellbeing through sport and play. Visit
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'My body shut down - it was a life or death situation'
When Sammy-Jo Luxton thought that getting her car broken into at the start of 2024 was the worst thing that would happen to her that year, it could not have been further from the truth. Among the highs of knocking an opponent out inside 18 seconds and signing a contract with the PFL, she suffered the loss of both her grandmother and father. The 26-year-old then discovered she needed emergency surgery for cysts on her ovaries, which later led to sepsis - a life-threatening reaction to an infection in the body - following complications with the operation. The ordeal caused Luxton to contemplate retirement. But now, having taken some time to heal with her loved ones, she looks back on 2024 as the making of her character and relishes the challenges ahead with renewed vigour. "It's taught me that I can come through anything. It was just me getting hit and I was standing up and then getting hit again and I was standing back up," Luxton tells BBC Sport. "I looked at it like a fight – if someone knocks me down eight times I'm going to get back up nine. "Now I'm going to bring that into a fight. Nothing can touch me mentally or physically now because I've been through that." Ditcheva to fight in South Africa for PFL The Devon-born Luxton took up Thai boxing around the age of 10. After briefly switching to boxing, she later moved to Manchester and into the world of MMA, in which she now trains full-time. After winning the first two fights of her professional career - with her most recent victory in March, 2024 - Luxton signed a contract with the PFL. But her debut fight in June never happened. The chain of events which led to the bout getting cancelled started when her father Adam was rushed to hospital after suffering a heart attack. With Luxton needing an emergency operation at the same time, she ended up in a hospital bed in the ward below him. After surgery, she was able to spend two days with her father before he passed away in April - two months after her grandmother's death. "When my dad passed away I thought I was going to do this PFL tournament then hang up my gloves - I can't go on now," recalls Luxton. "But he would be rolling in his grave if I didn't carry on. He spent hours following me everywhere, he's prepped my meals, helped me cut weight - he would have done all of that for nothing. "I am going to do it now for his legacy." When Luxton returned to training, she found herself feeling more tired than usual but put the fatigue down to being in a "tough fight camp". Inside two weeks, however, Luxton's condition had deteriorated and she found herself bent over in pain at the gym while cold, sweating and shaking uncontrollably. Luxton's partner covered her in blankets before taking her to hospital where, after discovering she had sepsis, her body temperature rose to 42C in a "life or death situation". "My body completely shut down, everything was a blur by that point," she says. "That completely wiped my year out so it was about trying to build my strength up slowly but surely afterwards. "I took that as spending time with my friends and family and getting myself better, mentally and physically." Now fit and healthy, Luxton is preparing to finally make her debut in the PFL's annual European tournament. In an all-British fight, she faces Scottish flyweight Gemma Auld in Belfast on Saturday. "It's been a long time coming but I can't thank PFL enough for hanging on to me and supporting me through the hard times," adds Luxton. "It will be pure excitement from start to finish. My last two fights haven't even hit 30 seconds – so I'm hoping the girls in PFL will give me more of a fight." Luxton, nicknamed the 'Ghetto Cinderella', doesn't have to look far to see what riches can be found in PFL Europe. In 2023, Manchester's Dakota Ditcheva, 26, won the tournament before progressing to the global bracket last year and triumphing to become Britain's first female MMA world champion. "Me and Dakota grew up together and fought on the same shows," says Luxton. "Dakota has set the path. You've seen the money she can make, she's set her family up for life now and that's what I want to do - give back and give my family a good life. "Hopefully I can do a Dakota run." MMA schedule and results 2025 Watch every Born to Brawl episode Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport
BBC News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'My body shut down - it was a life or death situation'
When Sammy-Jo Luxton thought that getting her car broken into at the start of 2024 was the worst thing that would happen to her that year, it could not have been further from the the highs of knocking an opponent out inside 18 seconds and signing a contract with the PFL, she suffered the loss of both her grandmother and 26-year-old then discovered she needed emergency surgery for cysts on her ovaries, which later led to sepsis - a life-threatening reaction to an infection in the body, external - following complications with the ordeal caused Luxton to contemplate now, having taken some time to heal with her loved ones, she looks back on 2024 as the making of her character and relishes the challenges ahead with renewed vigour."It's taught me that I can come through anything. It was just me getting hit and I was standing up and then getting hit again and I was standing back up," Luxton tells BBC Sport."I looked at it like a fight – if someone knocks me down eight times I'm going to get back up nine. "Now I'm going to bring that into a fight. Nothing can touch me mentally or physically now because I've been through that." The Devon-born Luxton took up Thai boxing around the age of 10. After briefly switching to boxing, she later moved to Manchester and into the world of MMA, in which she now trains winning the first two fights of her professional career - with her most recent victory in March, 2024 - Luxton signed a contract with the her debut fight in June never chain of events which led to the bout getting cancelled started when her father Adam was rushed to hospital after suffering a heart Luxton needing an emergency operation at the same time, she ended up in a hospital bed in the ward below surgery, she was able to spend two days with her father before he passed away in April - two months after her grandmother's death."When my dad passed away I thought I was going to do this PFL tournament then hang up my gloves - I can't go on now," recalls Luxton."But he would be rolling in his grave if I didn't carry on. He spent hours following me everywhere, he's prepped my meals, helped me cut weight - he would have done all of that for nothing."I am going to do it now for his legacy."When Luxton returned to training, she found herself feeling more tired than usual but put the fatigue down to being in a "tough fight camp".Inside two weeks, however, Luxton's condition had deteriorated and she found herself bent over in pain at the gym while cold, sweating and shaking partner covered her in blankets before taking her to hospital where, after discovering she had sepsis, her body temperature rose to 42C in a "life or death situation"."My body completely shut down, everything was a blur by that point," she says."That completely wiped my year out so it was about trying to build my strength up slowly but surely afterwards."I took that as spending time with my friends and family and getting myself better, mentally and physically." PFL debut & emulating Ditcheva Now fit and healthy, Luxton is preparing to finally make her debut in the PFL's annual European an all-British fight, she faces Scottish flyweight Gemma Auld in Belfast on Saturday."It's been a long time coming but I can't thank PFL enough for hanging on to me and supporting me through the hard times," adds Luxton."It will be pure excitement from start to finish. My last two fights haven't even hit 30 seconds – so I'm hoping the girls in PFL will give me more of a fight."Luxton, nicknamed the 'Ghetto Cinderella', doesn't have to look far to see what riches can be found in PFL 2023, Manchester's Dakota Ditcheva, 26, won the tournament before progressing to the global bracket last year and triumphing to become Britain's first female MMA world champion. "Me and Dakota grew up together and fought on the same shows," says Luxton."Dakota has set the path. You've seen the money she can make, she's set her family up for life now and that's what I want to do - give back and give my family a good life. "Hopefully I can do a Dakota run."
