Mathilde Bijorn- August 2026

Our Contender of the Month for August 2026 is Mathilde Bijorn. She is a dedicated member, showing up for both our Boxing Fundamentals and Conditioning classes and putting in the work every week. Here is our Q&A with Mathilde.

How long have you been training with us?
I started training with Contenders in December.

What first got you into boxing?
It was totally random! I run a monthly support group for people living with ALS in the tri-cities. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare fatal terminal disease with no cure. Most people live two to five years after diagnosis and slowly loose the ability to walk, talk and move, while their mind stays completely intact. Currently, 400 people in BC live with ALS, some as young as 40 years of age. At their annual Move to Cure event, I decided to participate in the silent auction and put my name down for a boxing membership at Contenders. And now I’m here…
It’s incredible that Contenders chose to support an ALS event and donated to such a meaningful cause. Their generosity speaks volumes about the kind of community member they are. That kind of support is deeply meaningful to me, which made it a no-brainer to attend their event, Mikey’s Run, hosted every year at Burnaby Lake, which further showed me their dedication to community and a meaningful cause.

What do you enjoy most about training at our gym?
Without a doubt, the people. It makes a huge difference when you have supportive coaches and a great community of other boxers.

What would you say to someone who’s thinking about trying boxing?
Life is short; do it while you can!

Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you:
I am a silversmith and enjoy making silver jewelry.