Yadira Lira started in karate at age 16, under the guidance of coach Koichi Choda from
Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP). After becoming a university champion, she qualified for the World Championship of
Shitō-ryū Karate-Do in 1993, where she obtained a bronze medal. In 1996, Lira won the university world sub-championship, in addition to becoming a two-time Shitō-ryū Karate-Do World Champion. Lira also participated in the World Shitō-ryū Karate-Do event in Japan in 2000, winning two bronze medals; in the 2003 edition in
Moscow, she won gold, silver, and bronze medals. At the 2010 World Karate Championships in
Belgrade, Serbia, the Mexican won the gold in the under-68 kg kumite category. That same year, Lira participated as part of the Mexican delegation in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Mayagüez, where she won a silver medal. In 2011 she won another silver medal, this time at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, in the 61–68 kg category. In 2012, Lira announced her retirement as a professional athlete. ==Personal life==