Sports

Local resident wins gold at 2025 IFMA Youth World Championships

October 2, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

A local resident competed at the 2025 IFMA Youth World Championships in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and won gold on the world stage after competing in Muay Thai with Team Canada.

Sixteen-year-old Oshiya Newby-Morgan competed as a member of Team Canada at the event, which was held from Sept. 10 to 20, 2025.

The IFMA is the International Olympic Committee’s recognized governing body for Muay Thai.

Oshiya trains out of the Art of 8 Martial Arts Academy in Orangeville.

Kru Martello of Art of 8 Martial Arts Academy attended the event as a Team Canada coach.

Oshiya was one of only two Canadian athletes to return from the event with a gold medal.

Along with two golds, Team Canada also won three silver and four bronze medals.

“At only 16 years old, Oshiya has made history in Canadian Muay Thai,” The Art of 8 Martial Arts Academy said in a statement. “She is now the first athlete (male or female) from Dufferin County to win a gold medal at an IFMA event. Not only did she claim the spot as best in the world for her division, but she also maintains an undefeated overall record, which is almost unheard of in this sport, especially for female athletes. Oshiya’s gold medal is a testament to the relentless pursuit of excellence that we continue to foster in the community at Art of 8 Martial Arts Academy in Orangeville.”

The Academy is lobbying for financial support for the sport so athletes can be more competitive on the world stage.

“We hope that one day our sport will receive even small amounts of government funding so that more Canadian children can represent our country at these international events,” the Academy said. “Our province and country are rich with talent, but we struggle to truly compete against countries like Russia (113 athletes) that fully support their athletes’ training and competition.”

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