NORMA Ishak is a fighter in every sense of the word. The 31-year-old amateur Muay Thai boxer recently lost her first fight in Any Martial Art (AMA), a kick-boxing tournament for amateurs, but vows to return “stronger and better”.

The mother of three, whose ring name is Ekin Kak Long, took up Muay Thai after her husband, Ahmad Fadzillah Ahmad Mustafa got involved in the sport.

She started training in February for the AMA 5 Best Revenge Kick-boxing Championship this month.

Preparing for the fight was not easy for her as she has to juggle a job and family responsibilities. 

As a school van driver, she starts her day early. Her first pick-up is at 6.30am and she is usually done by 2pm. 

To train for her first fight, Norma ran three kilometres under 15 minutes and prepared meals for the family during the intervals between pick-ups. In the evening, she ran another three kilometres before heading to the gym, where she trained under Raymond Martin and Herry Rocko. 

It took Norma nine months to prepare for the fight. 

Although defeated, Norma remains in high spirits and has pledged to train harder to compete in the Kuda Merah Muay Thai Championship.  – November 10, 2018.