Marengo High School senior wins bronze medal at international kickboxing championship in Italy

A Marengo High School senior, 17-year-old Cheyenne Welker, is now ranked third in the world in her kickboxing weight class after a strong performance at the junior national championships last week in Jesolo, Italy.

Welker ended up with a bronze medal in her division at the event – the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations’ World Championship – after winning against an opponent from Turkey, Nadire Saypak, and losing to Olivia Blanc from Switzerland.

“It’s surreal,” Welker said. “I had no idea I would ever end up here, but it’s really awesome to hold this title.”

Welker’s coach, Rob Zbilski, who runs Z’s Martial Arts in Huntley, said Welker had only fought half a dozen times, while some of her opponents over the past year have had dozens of matches under their belt.

“She did a tremendous job,” Zbilski said. “Cheyenne’s a very smart, disciplined technical athlete and fighter.”

Zbilski is the President of the Team USA Kickboxing contingent, which saw 42 athletes win 26 medals at the competition in Italy. The martial arts academy in Huntley has trained some “great athletes”, Zbilski said.

Zbilski has trained Welker since she was seven-years-old, when she was learning karate.

Welker, who is a first degree blackbelt, said she switched to training for kickboxing at the Huntley academy when she was 13.

“Apparently it was a natural thing for me,” Welker said. “It can be hard. But it’s worth it. If you work hard you can achieve whatever you want.”

Zbilski said that competition at Cheyenne’s level was about mastering the “low kick” style that requires movement, good boxing skills and strong footwork and kicks.

While Welker said it can at times be a challenge to balance kickboxing with other activities, it hasn’t stopped her from staying on the honor roll. Welker also worked the past two summers as a lifeguard and swim instructor at Huntley’s Stingray Bay Aquatic Center.

Welker’s mother, Debbie, said she and her husband, James, are extremely proud of their daughter.

“It’s great that in Italy she got to interact with so many other countries’ kickboxers and talk to them,” Debbie said. “To balance all that with her activities back home is kind of a big deal.”

Over this past year, Welker won both the Nationals championship in Nashville and the WAKO Pan-American championship in Cancun, Mexico.

Welker described the WAKO junior Team USA contingent as very close, even though they only see each other in person during training camps and competitions; she also said the kickboxers and other trainees at Z’s in Huntley were an “awesome” group of people.

“I love the community of kickboxing,” Welker said. “I have met so many awesome people on the junior or adult team.”

Welker plans to defend her title at the Nationals Tournament next year in Tennessee, which will take place in February, and hopes to continue kickboxing in college next year.

Between now and the Nashville competition, Zbilski said Welker will train to and work on some weaknesses that were exposed during the Italy competition, but that overall Zbilski said he felt it was a matter of Welker getting more experience and fights under her belt.

“Cheyenne’s an awesome kid,” Zbilski said. “She’s going to be really successful.”