Bodybuilding champs on

Makomborero Mtimukulu

BODYBUILDERS from across the country and beyond have been going about their paces like the biblical Nicodemous – doing all they can to avoid the public eye.

When the Zimbabwe National Bodybuilding Championships are nigh athletes always do their best to give little away, waiting for the perfect opportunity to show all and sundry the moment they walk onto the stage.

But the hulks and muscle women cannot go about business Nicodemously forever, the time has now come to show the results of the hard work they have been putting in.

The national championships explode at the 7 Arts Theatre in Harare this evening and never in the history of the competition has there been so much excitement among athletes and fans alike. The country’s biggest media company, Zimpapers, has flexed its muscle and added some gloss to a championship that seemed to be losing its allure with each passing year.

Tickets for the event are selling out fast and are available at $60 on Rapid tickets, simply dial *127# on Ecocash,VIP tickets – $100, VVIP – $150 and select trending events. Tickets will also be available at the venue on the day.

Zimpapers public relations and corporate affairs manager Beatrice Tonhodzayi said the company decided to sponsor the competition because it is a responsible corporate citizen.

“We are excited to be in partnership with ZNBFF and have put in all the hard work to ensure that we deliver a national championship that is worth remembering. As Zimpapers we also appreciates the benefits of exercising and this year we opened a state of the art gym where our staffers go and workout for free,” she said.

National Federation of Zimbabwe Bodybuilding and Fitness spokesperson Quiet Shangai anticipates an explosive night,

“What’s exciting is the unpredictability of it all, especially this year’s event,” he said. “Innocent Fungai Choga, Givemore Marume and Bible Mhizha remain the only bodybuilders, who have won the nationals after fighting back from previous failure. And this year, the only senior men bodybuilder to have struck gold before, at this level, is Ndumiso Dlodlo.”