adminGeophrey Sifani and Lovemore Zigara, Sports Reporters
BODYWORKS Gym in Bulawayo will provide about 10 of the 100 athletes expected to compete in the Mr Zimbabwe bodybuilding contest set for 7 Arts Theatre in Harare tomorrow.
Veteran bodybuilder and coach Simon Gama will accompany the Bodyworks’ team that includes Mr Lightweight Lovemore Munyamana, Mr ZRP Givemore “Big Five” Marufu, Lazarus Shereni, Brian Samundombe, Devin Page, Dan Grand, Mitchell Matsiko, Mako Mwale and Shantel Bhatch.
Gama said his team looked forward to a fruitful performance that will harvest a number of titles.
“The team is ready. They are highly motivated and confident of winning,” said Gama.
Munyamana said he was confident of retaining his Mr Lightweight title as he had been preparing for the event for quite some time.
Debutant Samundombe said his preparations had been thorough and was confident of upsetting experienced competitors.
Bhatch will compete in the ladies’ figure fitness category. She finished in the top 10 of the Mr and Miss South Africa Fitness pageant held in Cape Town last month.
The competition will rekindle the rivalry between reigning Botswana-based Champion Chienderamwano and Gweru-based Isaac “Sugar” Chimuchenga.
Chimuchenga lost the Mr Ironman crown to Chienderamwano in September and cried foul over the judging process.
Both bodybuilders have confirmed their participation in the competition tomorrow.
There are 15 categories that contestants will participate in, with the ultimate contest being the Over 90 kilogrammes Senior Men Bodybuilding category.
National Federation of Zimbabwe Bodybuilding and Fitness spokesperson Quiet Shingai said an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) judge Christo Van Wyk will grace the competition.
“It’s now all systems go and we are expecting this year’s competition to be even bigger and better than last year. Over 100 athletes have confirmed their participation, including those based outside the country, mainly in South Africa and Botswana,” said Shingai.
“Tomorrow (today) we will have an IFBB judge Van Wyk holding a seminar for local judges, which we believe will go a long way in keeping our judges abreast with the latest developments in the sport.”
Judges for the event have been kept a secret for professional reasons.
Shingai said one of the country’s bodybuilding legends will be inducted into the Bodybuilding Hall of Fame.
Online Reporter