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Morales and Lane at the gym on South 14th Street. Photo by Beth Jones/News-Leader -
Vivianne Morales, left, captured her second junior world championship title in Turkey. Submitted photo -
Vivianne Morales is pictured with Team USA coaches Dan Brandt, Aziz Nabih and Rami Ibrahim and local coach Doug Lane, from left. Submitted photo
She did it again. Vivianne Morales is a two-time junior world champion. The 18-year-old from Fernandina Beach took first place in her division at the International Federation of Muaythai Associations 2023 Youth World Championships in Antalya, Turkey. She captured the title last year in Malaysia.
Morales drew a random first-round bye.
“So I went straight to the semifinals,” she said. “I fought Turkey first, and I won. So, I moved on to the finals, where I fought Russia for the gold.”
Morales said her first oppo-nent had the home crowd root-ing for her.
“There were over a hundred athletes from Turkey, so a lot of people were cheering against me,” Morales laughed. “But, USA was pretty loud when they were cheering. It was a good fight. I think I lost the first round against Turkey, but I won the next two. She put up a good fight.”
Morales faced a Russian opponent in the final.
“She threw a lot of volume, but not very powerful, in my opinion,” Morales said. “So, I thought I did pretty good. The USA coaches got me powered up, like I need to win. This is what I’m here for.”
Her coach, Doug Lane, said the competition was tougher this year, and his pupil had a target on her back.
“The competition was a lot more prepared,” he said. “She was the one to beat this year.”
Morales leaves the junior division as a champion. She’ll fight next in the under-23 divi-sion, which Lane considers a bridge for the gap to the adult division.
“My plan is to make worlds in the under-23 category,” Morales said. “Something I’m looking for-ward to, something I would like to compete in. I fought adults this year, so I’m starting to get into it.”
Her coach said she can com-pete in either category.
“We’ll start there and work our way up,” he said. “Her record (13-3) is still such that we put out two-time world champ, and people shy away. Some people take it is a challenge.
“I’d like to see her fight 8-10 times in 2024, but the reality is she has to finish high school.”
And get her pilot’s license.
“I think muay thai is always going to be something in my life,” Morales said. “It’s the thing I found that I really love. Even in the future, in a couple of years, I’m still going to come back to muay thai. It’s what I love to do.”
