Jasmin Lopez Success Story

Jasmin Lopez an athlete.

A short introduction to yourself?
My name is Jasmin Lopez. I was born and raised on a small island – Koh Samui in Thailand but originally I am from the UK. I have always been an active kid and now sports/health + fitness has become a big part of my life. I have recently taken my Muay Thai training more seriously and hope to build a career around it.

How did you develop your fondness for your sport and at what age did you start learning karate?
My sport is Muay Thai which is the traditional Thai style kickboxing. At first, I became interested in the sport because it has amazing effects on your fitness – great for stamina, weight loss, and also for your mentality. To me, I developed muay Thai as a type of meditation because it takes so much focus from you and it seems like nothing else matters. I started practicing Muay Thai when I was 13 years old but only started training consistently since I was about 17-18.

What is your style and what rank do you currently hold in?
I don’t currently hold a rank in this sport as I have only just started my fighting journey.

Do you have a favorite Sensei?
If by sensei you mean muay Thai fighter who inspires me? I would say women like Stamp Fairtex and Marie Ruumet who are amazingly skilled but also so dedicated to the sport. Of course, I love to watch the greatest fighters as well such as Saenchai, Samart, Buakaw, etc.

How did you get into this position and how did your journey in this sport go?
I got to this stage in Muay Thai because I became so dedicated to the sport and began training insanely hard (even if I did not have to) and luckily I have been surrounded by great fighters from all over the world that trained at my gym – Superpro Samui. My journey has not gone as I expected it to due to the coronavirus that held me back from competing in more fights but still I have learned so much in the last year of training.

Do you take sports as a profession or is it just a hobby?
This sport started as a hobby but then became a bit of a profession when I started fighting and dedicating my life to it.

 What challenges have you faced in getting to where you are now? You can also share any injury story.
I would say the main challenge I have faced is not being able to fight when I have trained so hard for one (usually due to the covid causing restrictions). I was dealing with an injury last year – shin splints which is a very common injury that required months of rest but that was not an option if I wanted to keep training especially if I had a fight coming up so I trained through it, and it was so painful at times but with the advice of my trainer I managed to push through and now my shins can withstand anything!

 What motivates you most about your profession as an athlete?
The most motivating thing for me is self-discipline. Learning new skills every day, becoming stronger and fitter made me want to push myself even more. I am always seeking new challenges and to me, there is no greater feeling than overcoming my expectations.

 Do you have anything you want everyone to learn?
If I could choose I would tell everyone to train Muay Thai as I cannot think of anything better for you mentally and physically but I know the sport is not for everyone so I would say find your passion – not something that comes to you easily but something that makes you feel challenged and draws out all of your focus and pursue it.

What tournament or match you have won are you most proud of and why?
Sadly due to the covid, I haven’t been able to participate in many fights or any kind of tournament but I want that for my future. I would say I am more proud of the recent fight that I had lost (on points) because it was a huge challenge for me – my opponent was heavier, bigger, and more experienced and the fight took place on her turf. It was an extremely intense fight night for me but I still went in the ring and showed her my best with no fear whatsoever. Even though I lost that was my favorite fight, I would rather lose a challenging fight than win an easy one.

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