Four fighters for Muaythai World Youth Champs

Four fighters are scheduled to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) Youth World Championships and U23 World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, from September 29 to October 7.

They are Darian Rajkumar (71kg/U23), siblings Kymani (55kg) and Jamali Charles (67kg), and eight-year-old Sphinx Prescod (Wai Kru).

Rajkumar and Prescod hail from Tazmanian Bulldogs School of Martial Arts and Kickboxing while the Charles’ brothers represent Elite Force Fighting Academy.

President of the Trinbago Muaythai Association and Tazmanian Bulldogs instructor Rebecca Bhola leads the team as head coach while Shai Prescod serves as manager. The team leaves on September 28.

Ahead of the championships, Bhola said the team's physical preparation has been going well.

Rajkumar is already in England participating in training camps.

“They’ve been training very hard in the lead up to competition, sometimes four hours on evenings, inclusive of morning sessions. They are putting in the time.

“We’ve seen a lot of progress with them from then to now and we think they are confident enough. Our mission is to see how they develop and perform against top, world-class athletes,” Bhola said.

However, she said the team is still approximately $20,000 short of airfare for the Charles’ brothers. Bhola appealed to corporate TT and the public to step in and help offset any costs.

Funds gathered could also help the team bring along another experienced coach, Colin Charles, of Elite Force, to help bolster their chances.

Rajkumar is the only fighter to have competed at such a level, having represented TT at the Senior World Championships in Thailand, earlier this year.

The Trinbago Muaythai Association was established in 2019, but the progress of their athletes was hindered for two years, owing to the pandemic.

While in Turkey, Bhola has arranged for the team manager to do a certification course there. If all goes well and Colin can make the trip, she wants him to also get certified.