Felista Mugo is a dynamic Kenyan mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who embodies the spirit and resilience of Kenya’s Gen Z generation.

At 25 years old, she represents a new wave of young Kenyan athletes breaking barriers in sports traditionally dominated by other regions. Known as “The Young Queen,” Mugo has quickly become a symbol of hope and national pride for many aspiring fighters in Kenya and across Africa.

Mugo’s MMA career has seen its share of challenges. Early losses, including a unanimous decision defeat to Sephora Kiala and a TKO loss to Nicole Van Wyk in 2023, tested her resolve.

However, these setbacks only strengthened her determination. She moved her training base to the Elite Training Center in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, where she honed her skills, particularly in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, earning a blue belt and improving her striking and grappling techniques.

Her breakthrough came in 2024, marked by a series of impressive victories. At EFC 114 in June, she secured a first-round TKO against Aneesha Mayman, demonstrating her aggressive and versatile fighting style.

This was followed by wins over Chidimma Faith, Precious Okoh, and a submission victory via rear-naked choke against Merit Nwaji at the Warrior Sports Championship 11 in October. These performances have solidified her reputation as a formidable competitor in the women’s strawweight division.

Felista Mugo’s fighting style is characterized by relentless pressure, powerful punches, and effective ground game tactics.

Beyond her physical prowess, she carries the Kenyan flag with pride, inspiring many young Kenyans, especially women, to pursue MMA and combat sports.

Her social media presence and public appearances highlight her role as a trailblazer for Kenyan Gen Z athletes who are redefining the country’s sporting landscape.

Despite her growing success, Mugo remains focused and humble, crediting her coaches, family, and faith for her journey.

She is also keen on avenging her loss to Nicole Van Wyk, showing a competitive spirit that resonates with her generation’s ethos of resilience and ambition.

Felista Mugo’s story is not just about MMA; it is about a young Kenyan woman from Gen Z breaking new ground, challenging stereotypes, and inspiring a generation to dream bigger and fight harder.

ALSO READ: Kenyan referees appointed to officiate 2024/25 CAF Champions League final

ANAHEIM, Calif. — There’s an energy oozing out of John Speraw.

As president and CEO of USA Volleyball, the national governing body of volleyball in the U.S., he walks around the men’s and women’s national teams’ training facility at the Open Gym Premiere in Anaheim with confidence and excitement about what’s coming.

In just three more years, Anaheim will host tens of thousands of tourists from around the world to watch their national teams compete in the indoor volleyball event at the Honda Center for the LA 2028 Summer Olympic Games. The beach volleyball venue will be at Alamitos Beach in Long Beach, about 20 miles west of the Honda Center.

“It’s literally in our backyard,” said Speraw in an exclusive interview with Spectrum News during a media event last week.

The gathering gave media a chance to look at the U.S. National Teams Training Center in Anaheim and learn more about how USA Volleyball is preparing for the Olympic Games in 2028.

Speraw sees this as the first of many steps in his ambition to grow the sport. He plans to work with Honda Center officials to provide fans a “premium experience.”

“It’s as good as it gets — the opportunity to compete at home at the Olympic Games,” he said. “What that means for us is we need to use this moment to grow the sport. It’s not just about LA [2028], we need to use this moment to really bounce into the future on what this sport can be.”

USA Volleyball’s leadership team. (Spectrum News/Joseph Pimentel)

Despite the success of the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams and international popularity, including professional leagues worldwide, high-level volleyball hasn’t achieved widespread appeal among U.S. audiences.

The U.S. Men’s Volleyball team has won six Olympic medals — three golds and three bronzes. Their gold medals came in the Olympic Games in 1984 in Los Angeles, 1988 in Seoul, Korea and 2008 in Beijing, China. The women’s side has collected seven medals, one gold, four silvers and two bronzes. Their only gold came in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

But in the U.S., professional football, basketball, baseball, hockey and even women’s basketball dominate the mainstream sports culture.

There is no men’s professional volleyball league in the U.S.

“The men have won three gold medals,” said Karch Kiraly, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and the current head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team. “Each of those three gold medals helped build the visibility and popularity of the sport. It also did not lead to a professional league, either, in any of those three times. So, that doesn’t necessarily follow that if the USA men win in 2028 that there will be a pro league.”

Kiraly said that’s not their goal in the 2028 Olympics.

“Our primary goal, our target, is to stand on the top of the podium,” he said. “And then, hopefully, some ancillary benefits will come beyond that, and one of them might be the beginnings of a pro league.”

The creation of three professional women’s volleyball leagues—the Pro Volleyball Federation, LOVB, and Athletes Unlimited—in just two years, Kiraly believes, could be a stepping stone to a men’s major league.

“There’s a lot to be learned from their experiences and if anything, I think the women can pave the way for the men and find out what works and what doesn’t,” he said. “So that if and when the men start a pro league, they are already starting halfway.”

Speraw is hopeful.

Youth volleyball is undergoing tremendous “organic growth in the last 10 years,” he said.

“Boys’ volleyball is the fastest youth sport in America,” he said. “The girls’ [volleyball] is now the largest team sport for girls, larger than basketball and soccer because, in its very foundation, it’s an amazing sport to play.”

Speraw said the 2028 Olympics will be a pivotal moment for USA volleyball, providing an opportunity to elevate the sport.

“For us to be able to use this moment with the exposure and commercial opportunity, great partnership with the city of Anaheim and to have it right here in the Honda Center… It’s the best opportunity that we’ve ever had,” he said.

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Ariadne Karampetsou Nominated for the Prestigious USA Cutino Award

Ariadne Karampetsou has received remarkable international recognition! The standout water polo player from Ethnikos Piraeus and current student-athlete at the University of Michigan has been nominated for the Cutino Award, the most prestigious individual honor in U.S. collegiate water polo.

The American Water Polo Federation selected Karampetsou as one of 20 athletes chosen from over 500 competitors in the USA Collegiate Water Polo Championship. This recognition places her among the elite of the sport in the United States, a rare distinction, especially in her first season competing in the NCAA.

Ariadne is not only the sole Greek nominee but also the only representative from the University of Michigan on this year’s shortlist. Her powerful presence in the pool and consistent performances have drawn the attention of federation officials, highlighting her as one of the breakout players of the season.

The Cutino Award, named after Hall of Fame coach Peter J. Cutino, is awarded annually to the best male and female collegiate water polo athletes in the United States and is considered the sport’s highest individual collegiate accolade.

Among the other high-profile nominees are:

• Jenna Flynn, Ryann Neushul, Jewel Roemer (Stanford)

• Carlota Alonso (Wagner)

• Heiley Andress (Fresno State)

• Ruth Arinio Ruiz (Loyola Marymount)

• Emily Ausmus, Tilly Keans (USC)

• Martina Cardona (Long Beach State)

• Bernie Doyle (Hawai’i)

• Lauren Hett (UC Irvine)

• Skylar Kidd (Indiana)

• Emma Lineback, Lauren Steele, Ruby Swadling (USC)

• Maya O’Dea (Harvard)

• Darcy Spark (San Jose State)

• Dorottya Telek (Cal State Northridge)

• Kayla Yelenskyv

Karampetsou is also an active member of the Greek National Team and a proud product of Ethnikos Piraeus, a club known for producing elite athletes. Her development has been further supported by the club’s visionary program “A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body”, designed by academy director Dimitris Kolovos, which empowers young athletes to pursue excellence both in academics and in sport, whether in Greece or abroad.

Ariadne carries a deep water polo legacy as the daughter of Filippos Karampetsos, a former Greek international, and Anna Chatzigeorgaki, also a former international player and now a coach for the Greek National Team. Her journey reflects not only athletic talent but also a heritage of excellence and commitment to the sport.

At Aquafeed24, we are proud to support Greek athletes worldwide. With our newly established journalistic team in the United States, we will be closely following Ariadne’s journey in the NCAA and beyond.

We wish her the very best of luck in the upcoming Cutino Award voting and look forward to celebrating even more of her achievements shortly.

For Ellie Cole, the end of 2024 was a whirlwind. In August, she made her Olympic debut in Paris and was the top Australian finisher in women’s 10m platform (placing seventh). In November, she finished high school on a high note in Sydney.  A few weeks later, she stood on the junior world championship podium in Brazil, taking silver in 10m synchro. 

At 18, Cole is just getting started.

In a few years, she might be both an Olympic medalist and an aerospace engineer. 

In April, she revealed her love for science and nine other things that make her unique.

“I was actually named after my parents’ barista, like, one that makes them coffee. They lived together in America, in Hoboken, New Jersey; that’s where I was born. And they had this go-to coffee shop. I don’t know which one. The barista was called Elliot, but they called him Ellie for short. It was a guy. I think they just heard the name and they loved it.  I don’t think I’ve met him, because we moved [to Australia] when I was really young.”

“My middle name is Zofia, [spelled] with a zed. It’s Ukrainian. It was my great-grandma’s name, on my mum’s side, and she was Ukrainian. Unfortunately, I don’t speak the language, but I’d love to learn. I really want to know another language.”

“I don’t think I get attached to inanimate objects, actually. Of course, I love my dog, Buddy. He’s so cute. He’s a mix between a golden retriever and a poodle.  He’s very young, like 1½, still very immature, still very playful.  He eats socks. He eats socks SO much!  And he visits the vet way too much. He just eats anything in sight so we have to be really careful with what we leave around the house. It’s very funny.”

“I’ve actually never listened to music in competitions so I never wear headphones before I compete. I listen to music, like, when I’m studying, but not in competition. I’ve always wanted to try it, but just never found the competition that I want to risk making a change like that. I’d rather talk and interact with people so I usually have my coach sitting next to me making jokes. Sometimes it’s the physio. It really depends who’s available.”

“Ooooh, I don’t know if I have a secret talent.  I’m really flexible! I have really flexible hips. So I can put both of my legs above my head, wrap them. I’ve been able to do that since a really young age. I’ve never had to train it.”

“Oh, karaoke, for sure!  I LOVE karaoke. I love to belt out a good Disney song every once in a while –  something that everyone can sing along to and enjoy as well as me. I know a lot of the words to ‘Moana’ songs and of course the staple: ‘Let It Go.’” 

“I think I’ve gotten two 10s in my life, but they were both at school diving competitions so I don’t know if that counts. One was for a front 2½ pike on 3-meter and one was for a reverse 1½ on 5 meter. I was really excited – especially because I was a platform diver and I got it on 3-meter. I was like, ‘Whoa, this is insane!’  Another time, I was really close to getting one on a reverse 2½  in 10-meter competition in Brisbane, but didn’t. The judge actually came up to me afterwards and was like, ‘I was gonna give that a 10, but I just didn’t.’ And I was like, ‘Why not? Why would you tell me that?’”

“Either high diving or synchronized swimming. I love both because I know people in them. In high diving, [four-time world champion] Rhiannan Iffland trains with us in Sydney. She’s so amazing. She’s so sweet. I really love her. Then, one of my best friends from school does synchronized swimming. I think it’s so insane how they can, like, pull their legs out of the water and, like –  I’ve tried it once, and it’s really hard. So much respect for anyone who can do things like that.”

“In my sporting career, [five-time Olympian] Melissa Wu. Her dedication is just astounding. Watching her from a young age really inspired me. She coached me a little bit when I was starting off as an athlete, then we went to Paris together as teammates last year. We trained in the same city, and so training alongside her on the platforms and having a bunch of conversations was really sweet to get to know her as a person as well as an athlete. She’s retired but she still follows diving and is very much a part of the diving community. Outside of the pool? Probably my mom, Kate Cole. She’s an occupational hygienist and has her own company in Sydney. She’s acted as a big role model throughout my entire life. She’s very dedicated, very hard working. She never gives up. She always has the right thing to say at the right moment.”

“I walked out of high school with an ATAR score that I’m really proud of. ATAR is a number that you get at the end of school, to get you into university. The highest you can get is 99.95.  I got in the high 90s, so I’m very happy.  It has opened a lot of opportunities for me in terms of my tertiary education. I’m currently deciding what to do with that. I am definitely going to do something in engineering. I’m leaning toward mechanical or aerospace. For now, I’m training, travelling a lot, focusing on diving – and  teaching myself to code.  I was like, ‘I need something to fill the time,’ and I thought coding is pretty beneficial to the degree I want, so I was like, ‘It’d be fun!’”

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