SHANTELLE Thompson is the living embodiment of 'you can't' not being an acceptable answer.
The hunger and potential to compete on the biggest stage is still as strong as ever for the three-time world Brazilian jiu jitsu champion whose defiance of the odds in her way is truly inspirational.
The 'Barkindji Warrior', a 40-year-old mum of five living in Mildura, not only earned her black belt in 2023 but was a national champion and finished as the equal-top-ranked female black belt in Australia.
It's an incredible feat for an athlete who was sure retirement from the top level was on the cards following COVID and the birth of her youngest child.
"I've been doing jiu jistu for 20-odd years," Thompson said.
"I started at 19 because I needed to learn some self-control and discipline, and it has walked with me in different seasons of my life too.
"When COVID hit I thought I was going to retire because I was thinking 'be realistic', as a lot of people would say, I'm older now, moving back to Mildura, but when that fire and that calling came back to me, I thought 'Okay, this is really a thing, and how do I work within the reality of where I'm at in life'.
"Getting the number one ranking... I almost had to laugh because I was like I can be competitive at this age with all of the things I've got to weave together to even make jiu jistu part of my life.
"It was a very proud moment but it also comes with a lot of responsibility.
"Being a three-time world champion, having a profile and previous success, andbeing a woman with a black belt comes with certain expectations around what you can bring when you step onto the mat."
Thompson has her sights set on returning to the world championships in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi this year, alongside being a dedicated mother and running the Kiilalaana Foundation
While she didn't get the results she was after at the 2023 worlds in Vegas, Thompson said it reinforced her belief that she could still compete at the top.
"I went to Vegas basically with minimal training and prep because I currently don't have a home base for my training, but I really just wanted to test myself on an international stage just see where I sat," she said.
"The reality of being a 40-year-old female, mum of five, based in regional Australia, the cost and commitment of getting to a national level, let along international I had to go 'Am I crazy?'.
"But I also had to look at whether or not I was this out of ego because of what I've achieved in the past, or if it is something that's part of a bigger picture and bigger legacy that I want to leave.
"I definitely didn't get the results I wanted but learnt the lessons I needed to know I can be competitive at that leve.
"I can still hang with those women."
Thompson's continuing jiu jitsu journey, however, is about more than her own accomplishments.
"Coming back to my culture, our dreaming, or what other people would call purpose or vision for yourself, is you have your personal dreaming and your sacred dreaming, which is something bigger that's connected to the betterment to your community," she said.
"I know the power of sport in terms of overcoming obstacles in life, and jiu jitsu and culture were a vehicle for me to become a strong enough person to heal from those things.
"This is bigger than me.
"It's about becoming a change-maker and being someone who can inspire our community
"I've got the self-belief to do it – you have to be a little crazy and driven by an internal sense of belief and vision."
With potentially four national and three international events on the agenda, a busy foundational year looms for Thompson.
