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A Yukon kick boxer has achieved remarkable results in a short time.

Aparna Verma captured gold and silver medals at the World Karate and Kickboxing Union (WKU) World 2023 Championship in Calgary recently.

The Champs took place Oct. 16-22.

Verma competed for Team Canada in the Female Executives (45+) division.

鈥淚t was nice because Team Canada was so large it was really an extensive support system, which was good too,鈥� she related.

Verma won gold in light kickboxing and silver in K-1.

Needless to say, she was pleased with her results.

鈥淚鈥檝e been to a few different competitions. And I think that was definitely the toughest. Those were the toughest ones. And it was really weird to be competing against people from all over the world and to see so many different countries there but it was really exciting for me. I was just really really happy, and kind of happy that it was over because it was a long five days.鈥�

This was the first time Verma fought at a world level, although she fought in a world open competition in Iowa in June.

At that comp, she didn鈥檛 have to qualify, and fought in Muay Thai.

Verma said in the K1 in Calgary, she lost to someone who鈥檚 鈥渧ery, very experienced.鈥�

In light kickboxing, she found herself up against another Canadian.

鈥淚t鈥檚 tough when you鈥檙e fighting someone who鈥檚 on your own team.鈥�

Having said that, Verma added, 鈥淚t was just really, really exciting to take home a medal.鈥�

Verma has lived in the Yukon since 2019. She鈥檚 a member of Eight Days Martial Arts, whose head coach is Robert Woodman.She started working with Woodman in August 2022.

鈥淚鈥檝e never done any martial arts prior to that.鈥�

Woodman, wasn鈥檛 able to attend the event in Calgary, as he was in Port Coquitlam, B.C. at the time (see related story p. 17).

鈥淪he did really well,鈥� related Woodman. 鈥淐onsidering she鈥檚 only been training for maybe about a year, she鈥檚 kind of paving the path for the next generation of competitors for us going out there for Muay Thai or kickboxing. She鈥檚 got a lot of trophies and medals here.

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty inspiring to see what you can put your mind to. If you train hard enough, you can do it.鈥�

Woodman described what makes Verma so good at what she does.

鈥淪he鈥檚 very resilient, and she鈥檚 very tough. She doesn鈥檛 give herself enough credit. She works very, very hard. Trains multiple times a day and is just a warrior. She鈥檚 a good influence on the people in the gym here. They鈥檙e seeing what she鈥檚 accomplished here with the medals and stuff like that. She鈥檚 definitely talked about, so, it鈥檚 pretty awesome.鈥�

She鈥檚 also connected with 5 Elements Martial Arts in Calgary, headed by David Shin.

Verma explained how she ended up working with Shin.

鈥淚 went down to Calgary to visit family. I thought, 鈥業 should find a gym while I鈥檓 here.鈥� And there鈥檚 a lot of gyms in Calgary but you know what鈥檚 interesting, is there鈥檚 something about that gym that I wanted to go to and they ended up basically just adopting me, They knew that I fight for a Yukon gym. When Bobby (Woodman) can鈥檛 be there, they鈥檙e the ones who pinch-hit as my coaches and look after me when I鈥檓 in competitions.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e just been so awesome and so supportive and they were the ones that got me involved in the WKU competitions, because the WKU really has a very strong women鈥檚 initiative. They really want more women competing and so they鈥檙e really, really supportive of women competing. They鈥檙e always looking to make sure that you get fights, make sure you have opponents.鈥�

鈥淚 believe that we share great chemistry that is essential in fighting; something that is difficult to find,鈥� said Shin.

鈥淚ts been an pleasure to see Aparna work so hard, put herself out there, and never back down. Regardless of experience, age, and skill, Aparna will take on any competitors in the ring. It is a privilege to work with someone who represents the spirit of martial arts so well in our community.鈥�

Verma spoke about also representing the Yukon.

鈥淲hen I first went to my first competition with WKU and I was in B.C. and everyone got to know me because I was this woman who had come from the Yukon.

鈥淓verybody from Team Canada knew I was from the Yukon. I had my little flag with me and everyone just knew that鈥檚 the one competitor from the Yukon.鈥�

Verma is thinking of changing lanes in the future.

鈥淲hen I started going to Eight Days, we started with jiu jitsu and we started with Muay Thai, and I fell in love with Muay Thai but I always wanted to do jiu jitsu, but we felt that while I was continuing to compete, it was a bit too much to try and do both. And now I鈥檇 like to try jiu jitsu. The jiu jitsu guys, like, Bobby鈥檚 fight team is really, really competitive. And I鈥檓 not quite sure that I鈥檓 at that level, but I鈥檇 like maybe to someday to be at a competitive level in it.鈥�

The fighter has suffered her share of hard knocks while competing.

鈥淚 have not gotten through unscathed. I鈥檝e had my bruised rib and bruised nose and a black eye.鈥�

Verma is also looking into taking judges and referees training.

鈥淚鈥檇 love to see Yukoners competing and now that Muay Thai and kickboxing are sanctioned by the Olympics, someday I鈥檇 love to see a Yukoner in the Olympics.鈥�

As for coaching, Verma said, 鈥淚 like the idea of coaching but I also don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 ever going to be as good as my coach (Woodman). He had the patience of a saint. There鈥檚 not many people who would have dealt with someone like me, like completely not athletic, never been athletic. I have a lot of limitations.

鈥淐oach Bobby didn鈥檛 bat an eyelash. He was like, 鈥極kay, you want to compete? Here we go.鈥� And the best part about it was he understood my limitations. There are certain things that I鈥檓 not athletic enough to do and so we said, 鈥極kay, well, we鈥檒l work on the things that I can do and the things that I can get good at and learn to defend it against the things that I can鈥檛 do.鈥�

Verma described the difference between Muay Thai and kickboxing.

鈥淢uay Thai is the art of eight limbs and so that鈥檚 fists, elbows, knees and shins.

鈥淜ickboxing, it鈥檚 similar. Usually, in my kickboxing competitions. You can鈥檛 really use elbows. You can鈥檛 clench most of the time except in K1. And then often the striking with your legs is a little bit different. But like I still fight in a Muay Thai style in kickboxing competitions. So sometimes it鈥檚 just a little bit different and how if my opponent is more of a kickboxing or Glory kickboxing, or they might be a karate specialty, so sometimes you just have to deal a little bit with the differences.

鈥淯sually, when I鈥檓 up against an opponent, I鈥檓 trying to figure out, 鈥楧o they kick or do they hit? What is their preference?鈥欌��

Going up against someone with a karate background can be an advantage for Verma.

鈥淚f I can get in there and walk around the kicks I can punch and they won鈥檛 be as strong as that.鈥�

Verma added, 鈥淐oach Bobby has been amazing, but I also have gotten support from other folks in Yukon as well.

Charles Eshleman was really good at giving me some advice.

鈥淲hen I first started, my legs were so weak that I went to Ross Nesbitt and said I need personal training to help me fix my legs. And he was amazing at getting my legs a lot stronger.鈥�

Verma said she doesn鈥檛 think she would have been able to compete without their help.

She said that she鈥檚 been lucky to have a lot of support during her career.

鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of support in the Yukon. I鈥檝e had a lot of support from the coaching and fighting team in Calgary with 5 Elements.鈥�

She鈥檚 even gotten support from Rojas Muay Thai, an outfit out of Dallas.

鈥淚 found them on Facebook and they took me with them to fight camp in Mexico in March.鈥�

A funny coincidence involving Rohas happened when she went to fight in Iowa.

鈥淭hey were gonna do my coaching when I went to that world competition in Iowa, which is the one I鈥檇 been training for. And then I ended up fighting their fighter. So that鈥檚 when Bobby was like, 鈥極kay, I鈥檓 coming to Iowa and I鈥檒l coach you.鈥�

鈥淚t definitely caught us off guard. We were not expecting that to happen.鈥�

Verma added, 鈥淓verywhere I go, people are just so willing to help just for the love of the sport.鈥�