Sirine is a boxer who became French junior champion in 2019 after only one year of competition. We met him during the shooting of our unisex capsule collection in 2021. Find his inspiring journey in his portrait!

Can you introduce yourself ?

My name is Sirine Biri, I am 21 years old, I am a student and a boxer.

When did you start doing boxing? How did this passion come to you?

I started when I was 12, just for fun. Then I took a break when I got back to high school and I resumed in a simplified way in Terminale (it allows me to relieve stress and think about something other than classes and the Bac). It was my mom who one day decided to enroll me in boxing so that I could learn to defend myself. I was, and still am, a rather reserved and shy girl.

In which club are you playing?

I started in Pantin Muay Thaï (PMT) and I'm still there..

What is your training pace and how do you combine it with your studies?

My pace varies, usually between 3 and 4 workouts per week. I will say that I don't have any particular techniques for combining sport and studies, there are concessions to be made, no outings (well, I didn't go out much already 😅), pay attention to your weight, have time for homework / reviews, trying to manage fatigue (which is frankly not easy) but we do with it. Then loving what you do makes it a little easier, and makes you want to give it your all.

Can you share with us your most beautiful memory in a ring?

My best memory is winning the French championships in 2019 for my first year in competition. Honestly, never in my life did I tell myself that one day I would be French champion in muay thai. It was an incredible feeling and memory, my coaches, the people from the club who came to encourage me, the atmosphere, the victory! I'm pretty proud of it.

When you decided to do boxing, was there any reluctance from your relatives? How did they view this sport ?

It wasn't really me who decided to take up boxing, it was rather my mother who suggested I do so to learn how to defend myself. For the practice as a hobby, no reluctance. It's more when I said I was going to compete where my parents weren't too much for it. They were scared for me (they are still scared today 😂), which I understand.

After winning the title of French junior champion in 2019, what are your next goals and how are you preparing for them? Has the Covid changed the game?

After winning the 2019 junior championships, I want to make a name for myself, a small place in the world of Thai boxing. This year I won the Ile de France championships as a senior amateur in my category, which leads me to the French championships taking place in May. I just want to have fun, and go as far as possible. We train with coaches and other boxers, the adults don't spare me, and that's what it takes! We're not going to lie to each other, the covid has put our projects and our progress on hold, but I tell myself that it's a break that allowed me to get back into training better, I had missed it so much.