Two years ago, the Seymour College Year 9 student started her “wonderful journey” of karate after being bullied.
Now, she’s a bronze medal winner on an international level.
At just 14, Shaeedyn, who hails from Pyalong, jetted off to the United Kingdom to compete in the Go-Kan-Ryu Karate World Cup.
From Friday, July 24 to Sunday, July 26, competitors from Australia, New Zealand and the UK took to the ring in the English town of Telford.
When she first took up karate at GKR Wallan, Shaeedyn said she wouldn’t have believed that this is where she would be two years later.
“I never thought that I was going to make it this far in GKR,” she said.
“With the hard work and all the effort I put in, I started going to competitions and I started winning them.
“In 2025, I came second in the national championships and then that qualified me for the world cup.”
Qualifying felt like “a huge step” for Shaeedyn.
Ahead of the competition, she was praying to place.
The 36 rings and breadth of competitors inside the International Centre in Telford was, at first, daunting for her — until she stepped into the ring.
“The nerves go away pretty quickly,” Shaeedyn said.
“All the noise, you don’t even focus on it. You just focus directly on what’s happening in the ring.”
It was in the Kumite, or fight, stage of the competition that Shaeedyn, who was competing against green, yellow and orange belts, achieved bronze.
“I was like, ‘oh my god, this is happening’. It’s amazing what you can do with hard work,” she said.
Karate hasn’t just resulted in medals for Shaeedyn.
It’s given her a community of friends and role models who motivate her to reach her potential.
“I’ve met so many really nice people and a lot of the world cup winners, like one of my closest friends (2024 and 2026 gold GKR World Cup champion) Allanah Collett,” she said.
“You make so many friends, and everyone’s really nice.”
In her short, but successful, years in the sport, Shaeedyn has also learnt a number of vital lessons.
“Don’t give up ... People give up when it gets too hard and I was actually close to giving up at one point, but then I thought, ‘don’t give up, that’s not what you’re meant to do’,” she said.
“The harder you push, the more outcomes there’s going to be, and I did that. I didn’t listen to what my brain was doing, I was listening to my body.
“There’s one motto that I’ve always stuck with, and it’s ‘no pain, no gain’. The more pain you push through, the more you’re going to gain in return.”
Now, Shaeedyn hopes she “make(s) history one day”, with her sights set on again competing in the world cup once she reaches the black belt level.
She said her journey so far had been made all the more easy with the support she had received.
“I want to say thank you to my mum because she’s done so much for me,” she said.
“She’s the one who paid for me to go to the UK and to compete for Australia.”
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