Inclusive Sports Leadership Training with Boxing and Thai Boxing World Champion

A group of Key Stage 3 students are receiving regular sports leadership training opportunities throughout the year. This was their third training session where they practically looked at how sporting activities can be adapted for all participants to make them more accessible and inclusive.

We were very lucky to have the training led by Rachael Makenzie, Thai Boxing and Boxing World Champion, who also works as an athlete mentor for the Youth Sport Trust. At university, Rachael’s housemate persuaded her to join her at a Thai boxing class and she loved it so she carried on training to keep fit for hockey.

She trained sporadically over the next 3-4 years until, but whilst at Bradford Thai Boxing she got fed up with being side-lined because she was the only girl and insisted she wanted to fight. Rachael had her first fight a week later at Leeds Town Hall against an experienced fighter and although she lost on points she was hooked.

Since then, she has fought and beaten the British, European and World Champions to earn the No.1 spot in the World Rankings. In 2006 Rachael topped the Women’s Thai-Boxing World Rankings in two weight categories, 50kg and 52kg, showing that her determination and hard work had paid off.

Following a knee injury, Rachael made the switch from Thai-boxing to Boxing, and she took silver at the National Championships in her first season. Rachael also took silver in the ABA Elite boxing Championships (2016) and has been selected to box for England and become British Boxing Champion.