Lola Villa: “For two hours, I don’t think about anything but my boxing goals!”
Lola Villa is a master’s student in the Meef program at the School of Education. In February and March 2024, she became the university champion in kickboxing and savate.
It was in Reims on February 3 that Lola Villa claimed the title of French University Kickboxing Champion in the under-65-kg category. That first victory was just a prelude to her second, achieved in Mèze on March 13 and 14: a gold medal at the French University Savate Boxing Championships, her favorite discipline. This double victory was no fluke:“I can’t say I expected to win the title, but I can say I trained for it! I couldn’t have done more,” says the young fighter, who also won the French Open in 2023 with her then-club, MUC Savate Boxe Française de Montpellier.
Family Boxing
A well-deserved recognition for someone who learned to box as naturally as others learn to walk.“I started when I was very young at my father’s boxing club in Bagnols-sur-Cèze.” A childhood passion she set aside as a teenager before picking it back up a few years ago.“When I got to college, I realized that sports—and specifically boxing—really helped me manage the stress of my studies. I go to boxing, and for two hours I don’t think about anything except my boxing goals!” And to achieve them, Lola Villa has committed to two two-hour training sessions, four days a week—a totalofsixteen hours of boxing per week.
A passion she decided to explore further last year by adding kickboxing to her routine.“I wanted to try other forms of boxing, and the kickboxing class was right after my workout. The instructor suggested I give it a try, and my dad, who also used to do kickboxing, encouraged me to go.” While the two disciplines are very similar, kickboxing offers greater freedom in terms of rules.“In kickboxing, you can use your shins, so the distance from your opponent isn’t the same. You can also throw swinging punches, which isn’t allowed in boxing, where all punches must be straight,” explains the champion.
Competition Objective
In the coming months, Lola Villa is focusing on new challenges: successfully completing her Meef master’s degree and passing the competitive exam to become an elementary school teacher. Here too, the young student is willing to make sacrifices to give herself the best possible chance:“I won’t be competing this year; I’ll go to training or box at my dad’s place, but only for my own enjoyment. I also run, and I’m going to sign up for a few cross-country races in January, but I’m not doing it to break any records.” A sense of priorities and maturity that should, once again, help her achieve her goals!