A THAI boxing world champion has been been putting pupils in Otley through their paces.
Rachael Mackenzie gave an inspirational talk about overcoming prejudice against women competing in contact sports when she visited Prince Henry’s Grammar School last week.
The senior athlete mentor for Sky Sports Living for Sports scheme, also described her own journey in the sport when she met GCSE, BTEC and A -level PE pupils.
She led the students through her punishing warm-up routine and got them trying some Thai boxing moves.
Rachael said: “My role as an athlete mentor has enabled me to inspire and motivate young people to be the best they can be.”
The visit was organised by Year 13 students and Sports Leaders Katie Broome and Alex Burnett, as part of the Sky Sports mentoring scheme.
Only starting in 2000, Rachael topped the Women’s Thai Boxing world rankings in two weight categories just six years later.
She was the first European woman to compete in traditional, bare-knuckle Thai boxing in Thailand and the first woman to fight under full Muay-Thai rules in the UK.
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