At just 18 years of age, Nate Kelly is already a veteran. Barely an adult, the youngster has spent a lifetime in the fighting world. A self-professed “crazy kid” for whom trouble seemed to follow, Kelly needed a place where he could positively harness his aggression. It was then, at the ripe old age of four, that his mother enrolled him in a local kickboxing class.
Fourteen years have passed, and the Tallaght man already has more accolades to his name than even the most grizzled competitors - 16 National championships, European titles and medals of all colours at all levels. If he were to stop fighting today, he’d have a trophy cabinet overflowing with silverware.
But all that pales in comparison to his most recent title, the under-18 World Kickboxing Championship gold medal. An achievement fourteen years in the making and a title that Kelly still can’t quite believe is his.
