Ornella Clara: “I always enjoy training”
Ornella Clara, a master’s student in the research program at the School of Pharmacy, took first place at the university light kickboxing championships held on February 3 and 4, 2024, in Reims.
Light kickboxing?“It’s kickboxing but with light contact—that means you control your strength; the goal isn’t to hurt yourself,” explains Ornella Clara, who put on her first gloves eight years ago when she started Thai boxing and then,“one thing led to another, and I gotinto kickboxing.” She then moved on to light kickboxing on the advice of Atmane Ben Rabia, her boxing coach at the University of Montpellier.
“It was an opportunity for me to test myself in competition and meet other partners at my level and in my weight class, where there aren’t very many of us.” Her weight class: under 50 kilograms. Though small in stature, she takes great pleasure in her sport, which enabled her to take first place at the university championships in Reims—even though she hadn’t expected to win at all but was simply looking forward to“meeting other competitors.”
Great atmosphere in the ring
This is an unexpected achievement for the student, who trains 4 to 6 hours a week and “always enjoys going.” No burnout, a great atmosphere, and an activity that fits“effortlessly”with her pharmacy studies, where she is enrolled in a research master’s program at both the University of Montpellier and the University of Marseille.
Her goal: to secure funding for a thesis in developmental biology to take her first steps toward a career in research.“And to continue to thrive and have a blast in the sports I play—so that it always remains a pleasure.” A successful balance between her personal, professional, and athletic lives.