Local 16-year-old strikes gold against adult fighters at Muay Thai nationals

Two local Muay Thai fighters recently made a splash on the national stage, which has their coach eyeing some big opportunities in the future.

16-year-old Brooke Kirley, and 10-year-old Koen Poulin both won in their categories at the Muay Thai Canada National Championships which took place at Woodbine in Toronto last month.

Their coach, Matthew Poulin, whow owns Total Martial Arts Centre on Spruce Street, said he is thrilled with the results. 

"The cool thing about Brooke, she's only 16, and there was no one else signed up in that category, so we moved her into the adult division. There were a couple of people who backed out, or didn't get cleared the day of, so she ended up fighting a 34-year-old in the finals," he said.

Earlier this year, Kirley also won the Ontario Open Jiu-jitsu championship, and will finish the year undefeated in her sanctioned bouts. Her next scheduled bout is set for January in Cambridge.

"Two gold medals this year, that's pretty damn good," said Poulin.

He feels pride in his students, but adds that he also expects strong results.

"That's just who I am I guess. It makes you feel good, everything you worked on, all the hours they put in aren't for nothing. Even though our fighters sometimes lose, losing is not necessarily a bad thing. Its more about having good performances, and they had amazing performances, so that's what I'm happy about."

Koen, who is Matthew's son, has plenty of experience for someone his age.

"He's kind of been doing it on and off since he was like two. But more seriously for the last three or four years," Poulin said of Koen, who has also competed in jiu-jitsu since he was five years old.

Poulin has been an instructor for 18 years, and has spent the last 11 years as owner and head trainer of TMAC, which has seen plenty of growth in recent years.

"I bought it when there were 23 students, and now we have over 170."

He said he believes part of the surge in popularity can be attributed to martial arts and combat sports becoming more socially acceptable. Another bonus is the year-round access which allows everyone to stay in shape through the frigid winter months.

Due to current provincial legislation, sanctioned fights are currently only permitted in the Muay Thai discipline, which has led to Poulin and his team to increase their focus appropriately.

Muay Thai has been granted 'provisional recognition' by the International Olympic Committee, meaning that it is on the radar to become a part of the main Olympic program, potentially as soon as the 2024 summer games in Paris, France.

"There's another sport that we can do up here, that someone like Brooke or Koen could possibly get to the Olympics. I'm excited for those possibilities," said Poulin.