The demons that nearly derailed Anna “Supergirl” Jaroonsak’s promising career are finally in the rearview mirror. After a brutal mental health battle that kept Thailand’s rising star away from competition for nearly two years, the atomweight striker has rediscovered her passion for combat.
The 19-year-old phenom squares off against Teodora Kirilova at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Prime Video on Friday, August 1, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium. Supergirl enters the Muay Thai bout walking a path back to elite competition that has been anything but straightforward.
November 2023 marked a turning point that Jaroonsak never saw coming. Her crushing defeat to Cristina Morales wasn’t just another loss on the record books — it was the catalyst for a downward spiral that threatened to end her fighting career permanently. The devastation began hours before the opening bell when a simple morning routine went catastrophically wrong.
What should have been routine preparation transformed into a nightmare scenario. Supergirl’s pre-fight vitamins, taken on an empty stomach at 4 AM, triggered nausea that left her vomiting in venue bathrooms. The physical discomfort was merely a preview of the psychological warfare that would follow in the coming months.
Furthermore, the mental toll of modern combat sports began weighing heavily on someone who had been throwing strikes since childhood. Social media’s double-edged sword cut deep into Jaroonsak’s psyche, transforming fan criticism into debilitating anxiety attacks. Sleep became elusive as negative online commentary played on repeat in her mind.
“I remember training so hard for that fight, I was incredibly fit and ready. I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll definitely win easily.’ But then, the morning of the fight, I made a mistake without realizing it,” she said.
“Woke up at 4 AM, took my usual vitamins, including Vitamin C, on an empty stomach. When I got to the venue, I started feeling nauseous. I tried eating a banana, and immediately, I threw up in the bathroom,” she said.