Teen martial artist flies SA flag high

A year ago, Nuha Shah, 15, made history by becoming the first South African to clinch gold at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) Youth Championships.

A week ago, Nuha returned home from Abu Dhabi where she once again took part in this year's IMMAF Youth Competition, again making the podium with a bronze medal in Youth Girls B under-48kg section.

She finished the competition with a 2-1 record and ranked third in the world in her category.

In total there were four podium places for South Africans who took part in this year's event, three bronze and a silver. More than 20 athletes from SA flew the SA flag high at this year's event, the largest team assembled from the country.

The level of competition from the 46 countries and over 500 athletes that participated in the event was a good experience for the young martial artists.

With the rise of the sport of MMA, the quality of competition becomes tougher each year.

Nuha has established herself as being among the most promising up-and-coming fighters in the world and has earned the moniker “humble assassin”.

The Grassy Park teen trains under Mike Mouneimne in Pride Fighting Academy and is surrounded by a group of world class martial artists that will surely play a huge role in developing her skills further in her martial arts journey.