‘Just amazing’: Kilkenny fighter brings home world championship gold
Casey is a student at Coláiste Cois Siúire in Mooncoin
There were celebrations in South Kilkenny last month as 15 year old Casey Farrell from Piltown won a Muay Thai gold medal at the IFMA Youth World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
Casey, who fights out of Waterford Muay Thai gym, defeated a Kazakh fighter with a first round stoppage in the semi-final before a tense encounter in the final with an Egyptian opponent where the two were level on points going into the last round.
The achievement is made even more remarkable by the fact that Casey tore three ligaments in her ankle just nine weeks before the championships which put her participation in jeopardy before her eventual victory.
Speaking about the inspiring win, Casey’s mother 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 success has certainly not come out of nowhere as she picked up other significant wins at the Irish Sandee Open in Dublin in November followed by the Mediterranean Youth Championships in Turkey in December.
She is just the fourth Irish fighter in any age grade to win gold at the IMFA World Championships and her hard work and dedication has paid off on the global stage.