CHILDREN OF THE ISLANDS - MORGAN TENISELI CARMICHAEL

My name is Morgan Teniseli Carmichael I was born in Joondalup WA, raised in Auckland and I have been in Melbourne for 5 years now. My background is English/Maori/Samoan. My mum and my grandmother are NZ born Samoan, I get my Samoan side from my great grandmother Nola Malae Teniseli who was born in Fagaloa and raised in Aleisa. I train in MMA, particularly in kickboxing, I also do Jiu Jitsu, gymnastics, modelling and acting.

How old are you and how long have you been Kickboxing? 

Iʼm 8 years old, I have been training in kickboxing for 4.5 years.

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Where did your love of kickboxing/fighting come from? 

My family and I are big fans of MMA it was my dad who first took me to the gym to try it out and I have loved it ever since, and my older brother is an amateur boxer. My family always encourage us to do what we love, and support us in everything we want to do. 

You do gymnastics too!  Can you tell us what you love about gymnastics - do you have a favourite routine? 

I love doing handstands, cartwheels and the bars. My favourite routine is bar routine because itʼs fun to swing around and perform on the bars. I really love doing competitions and winning ribbons and medals.

You also model part time - do you have any favourite fashion looks? 

Yes, I have been modelling since I was 2 years old, I started in NZ and still do it now and I love it, I have also started acting. I love dresses and matching them with different shoes, boots and accessories. I always try to style a casual look with jeans and layer my tops to match and I also love to tie jackets around my waist.

Do you have any female sports people or amazing women that you look up to and why? 

My mum is the best, she inspires me to be a strong independent young female and always encourages me to be the best human I can be. I love all women in sports, especially Amanda Nunes and the William sisters. I always encourage my friends to play sports. 

What goals do you have for the future? 

I really want to go to the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. Hopefully I will make it to the UFC too. I have lots of goals to help me get there, at the moment I’m training more and harder to get ready for my very first fight. I want to compete in gymnastics when I am older. Mum tells me that I can be whatever I want, other than sports and fashion I would love to continue helping animals. I want to inspire others to be the best they can be and do everything they love. Most of all I hope to help change the world to make it better.