Weak and mild in appearance, a 20-year-old Chinese girl from southwest China’s Sichuan province has won applause for her Muay Thai skills as well as her champion medal.

Rolling up her sleeves, Ge Lü showed reporters the bruises scattered on her arms, which were left by fierce leg kicks from her opponents in the just finished 2019 World Amateur Muay Thai Champions. The marks also serve as a symbol of her victory. The 20-year-old girl was awarded the silver medal in the grueling 57 kg competition.

With the popularization of Thailand tourism, Muay Thai has become a new trend among some of the younger generation in SW China’s Sichuan province, especially for girls like Ge, who prefer to learn Muay Thai as a way to keep fit and protect themselves.

Luo Li, Ge’s alumni at Chengdu University of Technology, won the bronze medal in 54 kg competition. As a professional dancer, Luo cares about her legs the most. Initially, her legs were often bruised and swollen, as Muay Thai requires her to constantly kick sandbags. “It affects my appearance,” Luo said.

However, she gradually realized the beauty of Muay Thai. “It’s not only about taking cool photos. The practice has really made me stronger and sometimes I even feel I’m rewarding virtue and punishing viciousness, ” Luo told Red Star News.

The essence of Muay Thai is actually all about modesty and anger management. The boxers must embrace each other at the end of each competition. At that moment, they must control their emotions, which helps them better control their emotions in daily life, too, Ge introduced.

“Muay Thai is a fashionable sport that combines fitness and self-defense. Hopefully, more people will participate in this sport and strive to win more honors in international competitions,” Ge’s coach said.