Christi Brereton- An athlete born to win!
Christi is tiny. Blond and fair of complexion, she looks like a puff of wind could blow her away. But looks are very, very deceiving. A professional Muay Thai kick boxer since her early teens, she is a dedicated athlete whose steely determination to win has garnered her a collection of national and international honours, including her first world title belt in Thailand at the age of 15. Now 25, she is a bantam weight world champion, knocking out the latest pretender to her crown, a Frenchwoman, in just one round last October.
Christi was brought up in North Tawton and took up Thai boxing at the age of ten as a way of getting fit. She became completely hooked on the sport, travelling to Plymouth for classes where she would train and spar with the boys, as there were so few females taking part.
On leaving school in Okehampton she started teaching Muay Thai boxing and met Steve Pender, who began to coach Christi at his club in Cornwall. ‘Fast forward, we ended up getting together - you do end up being very close in that type of relationship,’ said Christi. ‘I am a big believer in things happening for a reason. I had always wanted to teach and now have my own gym and decided to start classes around here, in North Tawton, Chagford, Northlew. These classese were really popular, especially with ladies and juniors. A unit became available at Fatherford Farm and we decided the time was right to go forward rather than using village halls. I was only 19 at the time, so I had to grow up really quickly as I also had my daughter, Angelica, when I was 19.’
Unbelievably, Christi went back to fighting when she was just 20 - too soon, in retrospect, as the encounter became her first professional loss. ‘I was just too skinny, but a couple of months later I was back on a winning streak again.'
She now juggles coaching, training and fighting with motherhood, but I get the feeling that Christi thrives on a challenge! She explained that competing in a niche sport meant there could sometimes be a lack of opponents, although the discipline is now growing fast in popularity and has just gained Olympic recognition. At this thought a broad smile crosses her face. ‘Nicola Adams was 32 when she competed in the Olympics for the first time - you never know!'
When fighting, Muay Thai boxers wear no head protection or shoes and are armed with just a pair of boxing gloves. Christi described herself as ‘fairly mellow’ in general terms but once in the ring she becomes a different person. ‘I am very aggressive when I fight. It’s not something you do for the money, you do it for the buzz of winning. Once you get a taste of winning a fight, there’s nothing like it,’ - and she shows me her cauliflower ears to prove her point!
The Team Chaos Muay Thai Fitness Centre now has a dedicated band of young and not so young fans of the sport. Christi explains that thanks to support from organisations like Okehampton United Charities, Ocra and the rotary club, the gym is now well equipped and a very different place from the empty industrial unit taken on by a pregnant 19-year-old and her partner. The Chaos team includes Christi’s young protegée, Chantelle Tippett of Okehampton, who started at classes when she was just ten in Northlew Village Hall. She’s now 16 and a world champion herself.
‘I’ve got one lady I teach who didn’t start until she was 49 and she’s addicted to it. It’s given her confidence and belief in herself - it doesn’t have to be all about fighting. We want to get the best out of everybody that comes to us, tackling obesity, tackling bullying. I just want to give back something to the sport that has given me so much.’
Jane Honey
Pictures by Fred Wonnacott Photography
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