By Taylor Vanhoy ‘25
Kiera Thomas ‘25 has reached the ranking of a “national kickboxer.” This is an impressive achievement for a woman, especially at just 14. I recently spoke with this nationally recognized athlete to learn more about her experience with the sport and how she got to be where she is now.
Kiera was a club lacrosse player until her father, Brandon Thomas, showed her a UFC match on television. Kiera fell in love with the sport first as a viewer and then decided to try it. She began her kickboxing career toward the end of 2020 as she started training at “American Muay Thai,” a gym in Parkville, Maryland.
Kickboxing is a form of martial art that has Asian origins as it developed from Japanese, full-contact karate, and can be traced back to Thailand and the art of Muay Thai Boxing as well. It is effectively a combination of the two martial arts that has risen in popularity in the U.S. in recent years. It is defined as a highly competitive sport where two fighters battle to receive a higher number of points before the round ends. Some ways to gain a point are landing a kick, punch, jab, or sweep on your opponent without it being blocked.
Kiera works out at the gym three to five days a week for 2-2 ½ hours per session. She notes that running, weightlifting, and biking have helped her endurance and strength in the gym. These long hours of training and perfecting skills have gotten her to the competitive level she is at today.
Kiera also shared that kickboxing has helped her gain extreme amounts of confidence: “It has helped me to find who I am and to be an all-around better person,” Kiera says. “I feel that I have grown into a much calmer and relaxed person by being able to take my anger or other emotions out. This sport has taught me that you can have lifelong friends and support systems, but that it is also okay to be alone. Sometimes you just need the comfort of yourself.”
Kiera has shared that the stereotypes of boxers as angry people are untrue, claiming she has met some of the kindest and smartest people at the gym. She has found that everyone is open-minded and looking for the positive in each situation—which has really stuck with Kiera. “I believe this sport will always be a part of my life, it has influenced my personality and has profoundly changed my life forever,” she noted. “I have made friends that will always affect my life, and I have bonds with my coaches that are truly incredible. I would love to continue the sport in the future, but I want to see where my life will take me.”
Kiera also spoke on one of her proudest moments, a victory after a long and challenging match: “My proudest moment is when I won my second fight—it was an extremely emotional moment. It was one of the first victories for my gym since we had been on a losing streak. I gave her [Keira’s opponent] a bloody nose, which was something to be proud of because of my power and skill. The judges awarded me a unanimous decision. It was a moment where all the challenging work, the long days, and the horrendous diet were worth it. It felt like I was finally at peace, like I was doing something that was worth it.” This was one of her two wins in 2021.
The SPSG community is behind Kiera, and we are excited to see where her summer matches take her as the school year comes to a close!
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