Kayla Harrison was born as the firstborn to her mother Jeannie Yazell and father Kenny Harrison Jr. Her mother is also a black belt.
Kayla Harrison is a professional mixed martial artist and former judoka who is recently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
The martial artist is a commendable athlete, in fact, she is an Olympics gold medalist in 2012 and bagged the World Judo Championship in 2010.
Kayla Harrison Parents: Meet Her Mother Jeannie Yazell & Father Kenny Harrison Jr
Kayla Harrison was born as the eldest child to her parents; mother Jeannie Yazell and father Kenny Harrison Jr. on the 2nd of July 1990.
It was her mother Jeannie, aged 53, who introduced the sport to the martial artist in her early days as she reportedly was also a black belt.
As her interest in the sport grew with time, she was involved in judo from the early age of six. The training then gave a direction for her career.
Unfortunately, the two-time Olympics champion’s father committed suicide when she was 23. The incident led her to speak for mental well-being.
Her father’s death took a huge toll on her mental health, in fact, it has made her raise awareness of one’s psychological wellness issues.
Jeannie, her mother was in living with her fiancé Bobby Nichols, a retired Middletown firefighter paramedic until he died on the 19th of May 2020.
She was trained under coach Daniel Doyle. She was so much into the sport that she had already become a two-time Olympian champion at 15.
However, the picture-perfect life of the martial artist hid inner battles as it was later uncovered that her coach had been abusing her.
The news reached her mother Jeannie who reported it to the police. Daniel Doyle was sentenced to a ten-year prison term by the court.
Following the disclosure of her abuse, the Olympian champion moved to Boston from her home in Ohio. She started training with Jimmy Pedro.
Kayla Harrison Nationality.
Kayla Harrison, the 31-year-old martial artist holds an American nationality as she was born in Middletown, Ohio, the United States.
Unfortunately, as of now, we aren’t aware of where the American two-time Olympics champion resides with her children.
Who Is Kayla Harrison Married To? Her Husband And Children
Kayla Harrison is single henceforth, details of her husband goes out of the picture. In fact, she hasn’t been married once in her lifetime.
She was known to be in a relationship with Tony Martin, who is also a martial artist and a UFC fighter like her.
Now, you might be wondering with whom she had her children. The answer to the question is that she adopted her niece and nephew.
She adopted her sister Aura’s children Kyla and Emery who were reportedly under the custody of her mother Jeannie until she adopted them.
Her mother Jeannie had suffered from a heart stroke just before her fiancé passed away. Due to which she found it difficult to care for them alone.
It was until the martial artist who stepped forward to take care of them that she was at the height of her professional fighting career.