Andrea Wheatley
Andrea Wheatley at the Stick-Fighting World Championships where she represented Spain
On the weekend of April 24th to 26th, the 2009 World Championship Full-Contact Filipino Stick-fighting tournament was held in Cebu City, Philippines.
Spain had just one representative in the 2009 tournament, Andrea Wheatley, who is a new resident here in Barcelona, who took world titles in both the single and double stick disciplines. Andrea, originally from Australia, is a 3rd degree Black Belt in Eskrima and Eskrido: “I was proud to represent Spain, my newfound home and place of work. It’s been a really inspirational journey and the atmosphere at the tournament was fantastic.”
It is inspiring to note that Spain ranked fifth in the overall medal tally for this event, placed ahead of New Zealand and the US.
Andrea has been competing in international stick-fighting tournaments since her debut in Los Angeles in 2005. She has a fight tally of 41 and currently holds six world titles in Women’s Full-Contact Filipino Stick Fighting, winning both single and double stick-fighting titles for 2006, 2007 and now 2009. She works as a full-time Osteopath in the prestigious Studio Australia, a health and wellness centre located on Gran de Gràcia, and still manages to fit in her busy training schedule.
The World Championship is now held every two years; “I’m looking forward to sharing my fighting knowledge and getting together a team of Spanish players for 2011,” said Andrea.