The Northern Territory news Tue 30 Jul 2013
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2013-07-30
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English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin
News Corp Australia
Darwin
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News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/247279
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/579412
32 NT NEWS. Tuesday, July 30, 2013. www.ntnews.com.au P U B : N T N E W S D A T E : 3 0 -J U L -2 0 1 3 P A G E : 3 2 C O L O R : C M Y K Pretty Girl packs a punch, with a smile Muay Thai exponent Kristan Pretty Girl Armstrong has won the Flyweight WMC 51kg Australian title Picture: HELEN ORR MUAY THAI Even in the ring Im friendly DARWIN muay Thai fighter Kristan Armstrong has her first national title, taking out the Australian Flyweight WMC 51kg Championship. Nicknamed Pretty Girl because of her smiling and friendly persona, Armstrong, 29, initially took up martial arts to keep active and fit. Soon after, she decided to try her luck in the ring and in her 14th fight won the vacant Australian title with a second round knock out over Kaitlyn Vance at the Ignition Muay Thai event in Perth. The two had fought previously for a win each. I like the nickname and have it printed on my fighting shorts. It is not about my looks but from my smiley and friendly nature even in the ring Im friendly and dont get all aggressive, she said. Ive been fighting and training for over three years now, but started with a friend for fun and fitness. My first fight . . . didnt go all that well because I was severely beaten. I was embarrassed and upset with myself but pretty much from then Ive been training non-stop. I had fought Kaitlyn twice before. We went in with a plan . . . my trainer said I could win and knock her out and thats what happened. Man Ho Academy of Martial Arts founder and fight coach Corey Impelmans said Armstrong was a real talent. Kristan fought for the Australian World Muaythai Council (WMC) title which is the strongest global sanction, he said. Although she has only had 14 fights we were confident because her determination, fitness and skill sets far exceed her limited experience. In her brief career Armstrong has won Arafura Games gold (2011) and the Victorian State WBC 51kg Championship (March). And there is little time for the champion to celebrate her latest victory. Its back to training because Ive been selected in the Australian team to fight in Russia at the Accord Games in October, she said. Stingers dive into masters events SWIMMING Fiona Hogarth THREE Darwin Masters Stingers swimmers are fanning out to fly the Territory flag at the 2013 World Masters Games at Torino in Italy and the inaugural Barrier Reef Masters Games in Cairns. Former Darwin Stingers club captain Fiona Hogarth, who recently moved to Sydney for her job, heads to Italy tomorrow for the Torino 2013 World Masters Games, which run from Friday to August 11. Hogarth, 49, will be among about 30,000 competitors and has nominated to compete in the maximum allowable five events (800m and 400m freestyle, 200m IM, 50m backstroke and 50m fly) at her first World Games. She said her motivation was to visit Torino for the first time and the event gave her something to train for. This will be my first World Games . . . I have no idea how I will go but one of my aims is to make my nomination times, which were all personal bests, she said. Ive mixed up the events and my best chance would probably be in the 800m free. Backstroke specialist Hayley Odgers, 32, and freestyler Bryannon Ruskin, 31, will present at the inaugural Barrier Reef Masters from August 8-11 in Cairns. Both have national rankings in their respective strokes but it is Ruskin (nee Gray) a Territory representative swimmer as a junior, who has returned to the Top End and the pool after an absence of 15 years that is making a splash. She has been swimming competitively only since April, but is already ranked sixth nationally in the 30-34 age 400m freestyle. I grew up in Darwin and did a lot of representative swimming as a junior, and now Im back with a family, Ruskin said. That was in April and I decided to get back into to pool with the Stingers they are competitive and social, which is just what I wanted. I was a sprinter when younger and while Im not yet specialising, Ive nominated for eight freestyle events in Cairns.