Melissa Martinez Aceves (Mexico) is the new World Champion in kickboxing. She won gold at the WAKO World Championships held from 15-24 October 2021 in Jesolo, Italy in one of the hardest classes to win, Women -52 kg.
Martinez Aceves also won the special WAKO prize as the Best Female Competitor in the Ring Disciplines. With her victory in the championships, she qualified for The World Games 2022.
Melissa Martinez Aceves is a member of the Mexican National Team along with her younger brother David. They are both students, both national champions and are heroes in Mexico. They are also qualified for The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama in 2022. This will be the second edition of The World Games for Melissa Martinez Aceves: she debuted in The World Games in Wroclaw in 2017, where she won a silver medal.
After winning gold at the World Championships, Martinez Aceves said: “There are no words to describe how I feel! It was a period of very hard preparation, and they were definitely the toughest fights I've had in my career. It was excitement full of emotion when I stood on the victory podium and sang the Mexican National Anthem. It was a feeling I simply cannot explain.”
The World Champion continued: “But my success and winning the first place in K1 -52kg was not a coincidence! Thanks go to the many people who supported me and helped in different ways, starting with the Mexican Kickboxing coaching team, then my brother David Martinez, my family, the people I love, my team Toshinkaikan, ’Bonebreakers’, my nutritionist who kept me a week in the right weight band without failing in the weigh-ins, and my team-mates. I can say this is a success for all of us. We have definitely made a family #WakoMexico #Fenakib within our sport of kickboxing.”
As The World Games Athlete of the Month, Melissa Martinez Aceves will receive The World Games Athlete of the Month diploma as well as a branded gift from the Official Sponsor of Athlete of the Month, Protective Life.
Read more about Melissa and previous Athlete of the Month honorees on The World Games website.
