Casey Farrell, the 15-year-old daughter of Irish Open Event Coordinator Laura Carroll, has won gold at the IFMA Youth Muay Thai World Championships in Abu Dhabi!
Casey, who competes in the 14/15 yr old, +71kg category, triumphed despite tearing three ligaments in her ankle only nine weeks ago which put the prospect of her even attending the World Championships in jeopardy. Nevertheless, Casey demonstrated incredible strength and determination – turning up to training on crutches only days after her injury and adapting her workouts until she was properly recovered.
Casey, who fights out of Waterford Muay Thai gym, secured a first-round stoppage against a Kazakh opponent in yesterday’s semi-finals before taking to the ring today against the fiercely competitive Egyptian fighter, Alaa Shady Mohamed. It was a nail-biting contest with the fighers equal on points going into the final round.
Mum Laura said: “It’s just amazing! We are so, so proud of her. Words can’t even come close to describing it! It’s a fantastic result especially given the seriousness of her ankle injury. She overcame so many obstacles to get to Abu Dhabi and then showed incredible resilience in the ring. Casey’s coaches, John, Shane and Olga have been absolutely amazing too – so a very special thanks to them!”
Casey, who hails from Piltown and attends Colaiste Cois Siuire Secondary School in Mooncoin, is no stranger to international podium success after also winning Gold at the Mediterranean Youth Muay Thai Championships in Turkey, last December. She is one of 13 fighters representing Ireland at the Abu Dhabi contest including some of her team mates from Waterford Muay Thai – Evie Hearne, Leigha Kinsella, AJ Kiely & Shay Moore.
Team Ireland Head Coach John Walsh, who had to miss yesterday’s semi-final due to a hospital emergency with another member of the team, was back in Casey’s corner today to help her on her quest to secure her first World Title.
He said: “Casey’s pure grit and determination are what have brought her to where she is today. We knew in the short few weeks after Casey joined Waterford Muay Thai that she was going to be a special fighter – she’s not just a World Champion, she’s our Champion and all of us at Waterford Muay Thai are so very proud of her. This is Waterford Muay Thai’s first gold medal since 2018 and only our second gold medal since we started competing at IFMA. Also, Casey is only the fourth fighter ever to win gold for Ireland at these IFMA championships, whether adults or kids.
“The standard of athletes across these World Championships is phenomenal and we are so proud of all of our fighters who worked so hard over the last number of months to get here.”
The Irish Poker Open team – who were all watching the Championship live streamed final from various parts of the world – are absolutely thrilled Casey won and hope Laura, Casey and the team enjoy tonight’s celebrations in true Irish style!
