MILDURA jiu-jitsu star Shantelle Thompson continues to work towards a world championship as a black belt.
The ‘Barkindji Warrior’, a 40-year-old mum of five living in Mildura, started the path on a strong note by earning three state titles at the recent Victorian Jiu Jitsu Championships.
Thompson, already a three-time world champion, earned gold medals in the female over 76kg division in both Gi and NoGi, as well as the Gi open-weight title. Thompson not only earned her black belt in 2023 but was a national champion and finished as the equal-top-ranked female black belt in Australia.
She has her sights set on returning to the world championships in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi this year, alongside being a dedicated mother and running the Kiilalaana Foundation in Mildura.
“Being at black belt now, competition is all just at a different level,” she said.
“It also brings another level of responsibility, almost like being an elder in our community.
“Being an older Aboriginal female athlete who is a mum, I feel like there are a lot of people I am representing when I’m out there competing.
“I think there’s also still a level of advocacy we need to provide for female athletes and really give visibility for other women to know that there are avenues for them to achieve things when it comes to sport.
“Jiu-jitsu is my play time, it’s where I have my fun and remain grounded, and that allows me to focus better on all other aspects of my life.”
Thompson said she believed greater support and visibility surrounding female athletes could help support others who held ambitions.
“In general I think we need to be finding ways to better support and promote female athletes because we can hopefully inspire others,” she said.
Thompson will also attend the NSW and Australian championships this year in a bid to prepare for the worlds.
“I’m treating this more as a development year, almost like an Olympic cycle, to become the best black belt I can be,” she said.
“If I can win this year then great, that’s just a bonus on top.
