BARRIE, Ontario — Two Barrie fighters are heading to Venice, Italy to represent Team Canada in K-1 kickboxing.

Taylor Malynyk and Chase Drossos are both competing at the 2021 WAKO World Championship from Oct. 15-24.

The two 18-year-olds are trained Muay Thai fighters and K-1 kickboxers.

Malynyk competed in Muaythai Canada’s 2019 Ontario Provincial Championship where she took home gold. She then went on to Nationals and earned another gold medal.

This will be her first time representing her country.

“I feel awesome about it. Going from Canadian nationals to representing Team Canada, that is so amazing to me and I am so excited,” Malynyk said.

Malynyk said she is confident about medaling although not having fought during COVID-19. She will be competing in the 18-plus age category and the 125-pound weight class.

“As soon as I get back into it, it’s going to come natural and hopefully I can get to the top quickly,” Malynyk said. “I’m not sure how many competitors there will be, but I’m pretty confident I can take over the 125 (pound) weight class.”

Drossos began her fighting career in 2018.

Her list of accomplishments include two silver medals at the 2018 Pan Am Games in Mexico for Team Canada, gold at the 2018 WAKO Ontario Provincial Championship and another gold medal at the 2019 WAKO National Championship.

She also earned a silver medal at the 2019 WAKO North American Championship.

Like Malynyk, COVID-19 stopped Drossos from fighting competitively.

Drossos will be competing in the 18-plus age category and the 105-pound weight class in Italy.

“I haven’t fought in forever so I have a little bit of nerves, but I’m 100 % excited to represent Canada in such a big event with so many countries involved,” Drossos said. “There’s a lot of pressure, but it’s an opportunity I wouldn’t want to miss.”

Both Malynyk and Drossos have never been to Italy and are looking forward to seeing the country.

Due to COVID-19, each country will have to stick together, so if they want to get out and experience Italy, they’ll do it as a group.

“It’s kind of tricky to travel right now, but we are going to try to travel in a pod if we can,” Drossos said.

Malynyk said she would love to experience the food in Italy but needs to maintain her weight throughout the competition.

“Going there and not being able to eat the way I want is frustrating,” she laughed. “I have to weigh in every single day before my fight, so not eating ice cream is important.”

The two girls are just getting started in their fighting career and have huge aspirations moving forward.

Malynyk said one of her goals is to represent Canada at the highest level.

“Muay Thai was, just this year, recognized as an Olympic sport, it never was before,” Malynyk said. “My goal is to get to the next Olympics. Hopefully by then I’ll be a lot better than I am now.”

Drossos also has her heart set on the Olympics, but is also dreaming of a chance to compete inside the octagon.

“If I can place well at the Worlds and the Pan Ams Games in November, I’m planning on trying to get a Lion Fight, which is a pro fight,” Drossos said.

“If I can get some pro fights under my belt and some sponsorship, I’m hoping my name gets out there and I can start reaching out to the UFC to get on a low card.”

She said a lot of her family members are big UFC fans and would love to watch her compete at that level.

“I grew up having big parties at our house watching UFC so it would be amazing to get there,” Drossos said.

The cost of the trip isn’t funded by Team Canada and falls on Malynyk and Drossos.

Those costs include airfare, hotels, food, uniforms and equipment such as headgear, gloves and shin guards.

The two girls are raising money for the trip. If you would like to donate, visit Malynyk and Drossos’s fundraising websites.

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