By Milla Webster
AS COMMUNITIES prepare to mark International Women’s Day, two teenage athletes are proving that the future of Australian sport is in strong hands.
Fourteen-year-old karateka Allanah Collett has been selected to represent Australia at the 2026 GKR Karate World Cup in the UK this July, after training with GKR Karate for the past two and a half years.
It will be her chance to defend her title after winning first place in kumite and second in kata at the 2024 World Cup.
Allanah said: “I feel so relieved, and so nervous at the same time, but I am so excited to represent Australia in the best light I can!”
Defending her crown is deeply personal: “It means everything and more, as I have dedicated pretty much everything to the sport, and I’ve trained so incredibly hard to get to this position,” she said.
Her biggest challenge? “Reminding myself to relax. As someone who is pretty hard on herself sometimes, I forget to relax and enjoy it.”
In a sport often perceived as male-dominated, Allanah is determined to help shift perceptions.
“When the word “sport” is mentioned, most people think of men first. I want to be someone to change that, show that women can be just as good, I want to be a role model for the new and upcoming karatekas,” she said.
She hopes to one day become a dojo manager, earn beyond standard black belt rankings and continue mentoring younger students.
Meanwhile, taekwondo athlete Mackenzie Macdonald has also earned her place on the world stage.
Recently selected at the World Junior Championships selection event in Sydney, Mackenzie will represent Australia at the World Championships in Uzbekistan this April. This is her third appearance at a World Championship after competing as a cadet in 2022 and 2023.
“I am very proud to have been selected to represent Australia…I believe it is a true reflection of my hard work and dedication, training over 14 hours a week,” Mackenzie said.
After finishing fifth in 2023, her motivation is clear: “I am determined to medal this year because I got so close last time, I want to prove to myself and to others that I don’t sacrifice so much for no reason.”
Her result also confirmed selection for the Oceania Championships in Sydney and she was recently named one of the 12 athletes in the newly formed Fighting Futures Squad.
“It is a great opportunity…it will give me more international competition exposure which is critical for my development, especially in aiming for medalling at the World championships,” she said.
The road hasn’t been easy. Her family drives more than 700km a week for training, and she began home-schooling in 2025 to balance both her studies and competing at the highest level.
“Knowing I have the ability to go out there and do what I love at the highest level, in a sport that would stereotypically be male-dominated,” she said, “it certainly feels empowering.”
With ambitions of reaching the Olympics and studying exercise science or biomedicine, Mackenzie is chasing something incredible.
