Leitrim girl takes gold at prestigious MMA championship in Greece
12-year-old Zoe Szemendrey, from south Leitrim, represented Ireland at the prestigious event which took place in Athens this week and was crowned the winner after defeating her opponents in less than three minutes.
12-year-old Zoe Szemendrey, from south Leitrim, represented Ireland at the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) which took place in Athens this week and was crowned the winner after defeating her opponents in less than three minutes.
Her father, Oliver Szemendrey, told the Leitrim Observer that Zoe started training Jiu Jitsu and MMA as a hobby in 2023 at the age of ten at Morris Martial Arts in Carrick-on-Shannon, coached by Gary Morris.
She was the youngest female member on the Irish team and the only one from Carrick-on-Shannon, Oliver told us. "She had two opponents from Greek and Ukraine. She beat both of them. She spent altogether two minutes and 43 seconds in the cage."
He said that Zoe had been training 12 times a week over the last two months. "She trains at C.M.T Morakot Muay-Thai in Carrick-on-Shannon and with Gary Morris, who her MMA coach."
He revealed that Zoe is set to take part in the GAMMA (Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts) this November but before that she will compete in a number of events over the summer. "She is very motivated. She has two or three classes every day. She has Jiu Jitsu, MMA and Muay Thai. She does that Monday to Friday and on Saturdays she has a sparring sessions and on Sunday there is a Muay Thai sparring session."
Talking about how she became interested in the sport, he said that they first sent her to a dance class to see if she would be interested in taking it up as a hobby. "She didn't like that so we went to Gary Morris and she tried Martial Arts and she loved that from the first moment. She actually started three years and a month ago. I like combat sports so I can help her at home; she has a full gym at home in the garage that she uses, she has everything to train at home."
He said that Zoe is also committed to her school work and even prepares her own food to ensure she is eating enough protein to be at her best. "She's very disciplined. She cooks her own breakfast, dinner and lunch often to her liking."
He said that she's thrilled with the win and "couldn't believe that she reached this goal because it was her big dream to win the European Champions. They went to celebrate straight away and had a nice lunch."
Zoe has earned several medals in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and MMA.
In 2025 February (at age 11) she was the highest ranked Jiu Jitsu practitioner under 16 in the local club, highest ranked under 14 in the county as well as number five in the country.
At the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) European Championship, she won a bronze medal.
Other awards include first place in the 2024 Leitrim Grappling Championsip, first place in the 2025 Galway MMA Championship, first place in the 2025 and 2026 Leitrim MMA Championship and first place in the 2025 Tullamore Jiu Jitsu Championship.