“All new stuff is uncomfortable” – Smilla Sundell admits starting Muay Thai was a daunting challenge for her

Given her physical gifts and virtuosic fighting prowess, many would assume that Muay Thai came naturally for Smilla Sundell.

Turns out, even the Swedish superstar was initially intimidated by Thailand’s national sport at first.

Sundell first tried Muay Thai at 10 years old during a family vacation in Thailand. Despite struggling with its physical and mental demands initially, ‘The Hurricane’ soon embraced the sport. She trained full-time when she was 12 years old as her family settled in KO Samui, Thailand.

The 19-year-old prodigy soon found her calling, as she stayed behind in ‘The Land of Smiles’ long after her family moved back to Sweden.

Smilla Sundell, in an interview with ONE Championship, recalled how it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows when she first got into Muay Thai.

The ONE women’s strawweight Muay Thai world champion credited her sister for pushing her and allowing her to reach her full potential in ‘The Art of Eight Limbs’.

“I think all new stuff is uncomfortable. For me, it was even harder sometimes, I would say. So yeah, it was uncomfortable, but I had my sister there who I would push in front of me to make her do all the stuff first, and then I would go after.”

Smilla Sundell admits training with kicking pads used to scare her

Nowadays, ONE Championship fans are used to witnessing Smilla Sundell throw her strikes with effortless ease.

‘The Hurricane’ has every combination in the bag, from her wicked knees and kicks to sharp punches, and slicing elbows.

However, even the greats all had to start somewhere, and Sundell admits she wasn’t as coordinated and confident as she is now.

The Fairtex Training Center affiliate shared in the same interview:

“I really didn’t want to make mistakes, and kicking pads made me look like an idiot, so I was scared to do it and do anything wrong with people looking at me.”