‘The cheetah’ finds her stride on world stage

Mila Ben David, who grew up in South Africa, has become Israel’s newest world champion, having won the title of 2025 World Jiu-Jitsu Champion in Bangkok, Thailand. Ben David, 15, won gold in the under-16 age category for Israel despite living in Johannesburg. 

Ben David, who was born in Madrid to an Israeli father and Spanish mother, and moved to South Africa when she was five, has a long list of achievements. In 2019, she won a gold medal at the Jiu-Jitsu championship in the United States, and in 2020 won a silver medal at the European Championship in Ireland. She has won the South African Jiu-Jitsu title seven times, and earned gold four times at the African continental Jiu-Jitsu Championships. 

She started school at King David Linksfield in Grade 1 and remained there until Grade 6 before transferring to ESCA School, an elite sporting academy and school at the Wanderers Sports Club in Illovo. The move allowed her to balance competitive training with academic demands. She obtained permanent residence in South Africa in January 2024, and still considers the country central to her development. 

Today, she represents Israel in international competition, but her pathway has been shaped in equal measure by her South African upbringing, Spanish birth, and Israeli heritage. 

Although she lives in Johannesburg, she competes for Israel as she has dual nationality. Whenever she visits Israel, she trains with the Israeli national jiu-jitsu team. During a visit in September, she spent two weeks training with the squad. She said that this arrangement is common in martial arts. 

“It felt nice because I’m part Israeli because my dad is from there,” Ben David said about competing under the Israeli flag. “I felt like I was there with family and my teammates, coaches, and close friends.” 

She has also won seven South African titles in submission wrestling; five Gauteng judo titles; two South African national judo titles; and seven South African freestyle wrestling titles. In 2022, she was named Gauteng sport woman achiever of the year. In 2023, she became the Youth Jiu-Jitsu World Champion in Abu Dhabi. In 2024, she won the Judo South Africa trials for the Commonwealth pathway and was named youth grappler of the year by Submission Kings. She received the Submission Kings female grappler of the year award in 2025. 

Her nickname, “The Cheetah”, emerged early in her career. It’s her favourite animal, she said, and it reflects the speed and instinctive movement that characterises her style. “I’m pretty fast if you think about it, like thinking and doing the technique,” she said. “So, it matches my personality in a way.” 

Speed wasn’t the only factor that shaped her development. When she began competing in South Africa, she was encouraged to fight boys because there weren’t enough girls in her division. The move was unusual, but it became one of her biggest advantages. 

 “It was a good way to challenge myself,” she said.  

Mixed competition strengthened her technique, sharpened her reactions, and encouraged her to stay adaptable. These habits became part of her foundation in both judo and jiu-jitsu. She continues to train in both disciplines. 

“I like them both, but if I had to pick, I would pick jiu-jitsu,” she said. “Judo helps with my jiu-jitsu, and jiu-jitsu helps with my judo.” 

Her training programme has expanded significantly over the past few years. Preparing for the world championships required morning sessions before school, evening sessions after school, physiotherapy, strength work, and careful recovery. 

“I used to train every day, but now I’ve been training in the mornings and the evenings,” she said. “Going to the gym and lifting weights helps. At school, we have time to do homework during free periods. That helps.” 

She said she aims for consistency rather than intensity for its own sake. Her long-term goals reflect this mindset. “I want to keep working hard and stay consistent,” she said.

Her performance in Thailand showed the effect of her expanded training. The final match left a strong impression on her. She was facing an opponent with a strong guard and a reputation for being difficult to break down. 

“I managed to pass her guard at the end and dominate for the rest of the match, which surprised me,” she said. “I managed to submit her and then I realised there were only three seconds left.” The match lasted only three minutes, leaving limited opportunity for submission attempts. The result made her emotional. “I felt really courageous. It was emotional. Having my team, my coaches, and my parents there made me happy. All the dedication I put in through the year paid off.” 

Her psychological growth has been just as important as her physical training. She said she felt extremely nervous at her first competitions, but repeated exposure changed her relationship with pressure. Losses didn’t discourage her, they pushed her forward. 

“Some kids get scared and when they lose, they stop doing the sport,” she said. “I also lost in competitions, but it motivated me to keep working hard so I could keep succeeding in future competitions. You have to learn to overcome challenges in the correct way. There will be hard times, but you need to keep going and not let them knock you over.” 

She keeps her fight-day routine simple. She warms up, talks to her coaches and teammates, listens to music, and speaks briefly with her parents. She eats a banana or blueberries to stay energised without feeling heavy. 

Her role model is Ffion Davies, a multiple time world champion. “I have met her twice,” she said. “She is a nice person, and really good at the sport. I look up to her.” 

The pathway from Madrid to Johannesburg to the international stage has shaped Ben David into a versatile competitor with a broad skill set and a grounded approach to success. Her achievements have come from a mix of early challenges, steady support, and the determination she continues to show. The cheetah remains her symbol not only for speed, but for the instinctive balance between patience and action that defines her story. 

Ben David hopes to continue competing at international level, but the demands of travelling and training in a niche sport make it difficult to secure the support she needs.