Dumbarton kickboxing star Maia Bisley ends year in style at Bristol tournament

Dumbarton kickboxing ace Maia Bisley signed off from the competition season with five medals at the Bristol International Open.

The talented 13-year-old, who made history by becoming the first ever female British fighter to win four golds at a European Championship, brought three golds, a silver and a bronze back from Bristol.

And mum Kim said it was the perfect end to a golden year for Braveheart Martial Arts fighter Maia.

She told the Lennox: “It was fantastic. We knew it would be a really tough competition and that Maia would have a target on her back after winning four titles at the European Championships.

“Within the UK there are some great fighters who are in her category, and there were about 18 or 19 other countries there. It’s a big competition with massive categories and a lot of the fights could’ve gone either way.

“But she was brilliant.

“Maia takes everything in her stride. Her and her dad do their homework before the draws are announced and recognise the names, or watch the other fighters to see where they are strong and not as strong.

“Her dad (Stuart) said that Maia was fighting better in harder fights than she did in the Europeans. He’s her biggest fan, but her biggest critic as well.

“The two of them watch all the fights back, stopping and starting them to look at where they could improve.

“Even on the journey home she was watching back the videos to try and work out what she could’ve done that was better.”

It comes at a good time for Maia, who will end her season with a ring fight on Friday at the Normandy Hotel in Renfrew.

“Maia trains so hard and puts in the effort. She knows she’s as fit and fast as she possibly could be,” said Kim.

“As soon as the competition is done she’s straight away thinking