BANGKOK ¨C A 15-year-old junior high school girl from Yamagata has become the youngest-ever professional Muay Thai competitor in Thailand, where the martial art is a national sport.
Airi Kadowaki, who is in her third year of junior high school, was registered as a professional Muay Thai fighter with the Sports Authority of Thailand following her 15th birthday in early November, based on the joint recommendation of a Muay Thai organization in Japan and a prominent Thai gym. Under Thai law, the minimum age for registering as a professional is 15.
On Nov. 29, Kadowaki, who is in the mini-flyweight class for those weighing up to 47.62 kilograms, won her debut match as a professional, just one year and eight months after taking up Thai boxing. She plans to start traveling back and forth between Yamagata and Bangkok, aiming to become a Muay Thai world champion.
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