A Kawakawa teen won two international titles at the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) World Championships 2023 roughly a year after entering the sport.

Ryker Tepania, 15, took home gold medals in the 80kg-plus class for mixed martial arts (MMA) and K1 at the two-day competition that attracted around 100 competitors to the Mira Boxing Stadium in Bali on June 23-24.

Better yet, his friend and Bay of Islands College schoolmate Quin Witehira, also 15 from Kawakawa, won silver in the 64kg class for MMA and bronze in the K1 at the international event.

Tepania defeated 16-year-old champion Kallan Todd from Bermuda, who weighs in at 106kg, to take the MMA gold. A feeling, he said, that was unmatched by his major wins at home.

Kallan Todd, 16, from Bermuda post-fight with the Kiwi winner Ryker Tepania.

Quin Witehira (right) with his Australian opponent in the gold medal MMA match.

In April, Tepania and Witehira both won gold at the New Zealand Grappling Competition, which earned them national titles.

A week before the WKA world championships, Witehira had also won silver at his first-ever MMA fight at the Oceania GAMMA Championships held in Auckland. The event is a prestigious fight promotion with pathways to the Olympics and other promotions that can earn up to $60,000 per fight.

Tepania said the key to his success on the world stage was staying confident and being ready for what lay ahead.

“I was telling myself I can’t lose.”

His mindset was cemented by the gameplan he had made earlier with head coach and former world Mixed Martial Arts champ Renata Kingi, known as Razzie.

Te Hakaraia Wilson (from left), Ryker Tepania, head coach Renata Kingi, and Quin Witehira.

“Then I went and did it,” Tepania said.

His victory brought tears to his mum’s eyes. She had travelled to Bali along with Witehira’s mother to cheer on the teens, who were the only Northlanders competing.

While Witehira felt he could’ve done better, coach Kingi praised the way he and Tepania performed given the hot conditions and long competition days that lasted from 8am to 9pm.

“I have little moments where I look back and go sheesh, we completed that goal of medalling in such a short amount of time.”

Despite the level of competition - with fighters pooled from the United States, Russia, Iran, Bermuda, and so on - Witehira’s biggest takeaway was the sportsmanship.

“When you go into the fight, you don’t know them... but when it wraps you become mates and all that. Get their Instagram and hug it out.”

The teens’ feats are impressive given they have only seriously trained for about a year after first starting kickboxing at school.

Ryker Tepania training for his fights.

Witehera said they took part in the lunchtime kickboxing classes as a way to get fit. At the time, he had no idea the decision would lead him to the world stage.

Coach Kingi said the classes were part of the Tu Rangatahi programme, which was a wellness and empowerment initiative for the college’s students. The programme was funded by Tu Manawa and supported by Sport Northland and the school.

Soon, Witehira found himself drawn to the sport’s competitive side by its demand for discipline and a strong mindset.

Kingi said he and Tepania were part of a small group of students who wanted to travel nationally and internationally for MMA, but they were the only two who stayed the course.

The pair often travel outside the region to train with high-level competitors and renowned coaches.

Witehira said school holidays were spent in the training ring with Oliver MMA in Auckland, and at Lions Den MMA in Whangārei during term-time or Toa Fitness in Moerewa.

“It’s pretty full on. I wake up, go to the gym, then go to school, then go to training.”

But he is driven by his goal to become an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) world champion.

Kingi said the teens’ inspirational successes were a good reminder that despite a lot of the negative happenings up north, there were young people putting their heads down and doing well.