How Hong Kong ex-MMA fighter Kimberly Carder is helping women runners achieve their goals
The former cage fighter talks about teaming up with Women’s Five, a five-week, female-focused training programme, and why mental health has become just as important to her as the physical side
Two years ago, Kimberley Carder fought – and beat – Tricia Yap in a cage fight at Hong Kong’s Queen Elizabeth Stadium, her first ever professional MMA (mixed martial arts) bout after years of amateur clashes. That landmark event was a turning point for the then 24-year-old, but not in the way you might expect.
“Although I won, I felt like I had lost. Mentally and emotionally, I was in such a weird place,” says Carder, a Hong Kong native, explaining that the stress of juggling the demands of the sport while studying for a doctorate in clinical psychology took a mental toll.
More Hong Kong women take up competitive running, helped by women-only races
Opportunities to fight at regional events arrived thick and fast after her win. Her MMA career prospects soared, while her academic pursuits went in the opposite direction. She had to make a choice: to commit to one career over the other.
She decided to focus on her studies. “I really feel now, and at the time, that mental health and that balance between body and mind were avenues I could [use to] give more back to other people and that use my strengths more,” says the 26-year-old.
In May next year, she hopes to graduate with a doctorate in clinical psychology from Alliant International University, a San Diego-based school that offers the programme through City University of Hong Kong’s School of Continuing and Professional Education.
