Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, Zimpapers Sports Hub
FORMER national and international bodybuilding and men’s physique champion Ryan Gumbo is back, and the mission is clear. Next year marks his return to competitive action, a renewed charge at an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness pro card that has slipped through his fingers twice before.
After taking a sabbatical this year, Gumbo is preparing to re-enter both local and international competitions with a sharper focus and a reset mindset. The pro card remains the ultimate target. He came close in 2022 and again in 2023, close enough to feel it, close enough to know it is still within reach.
The narrowest miss came in Johannesburg in 2023, where Gumbo won the Men’s Physique Open Class E category at the Muscle Mulisha Grand Prix Pro Qualifier. The class victory was emphatic, but the overall title, and the pro card that followed it, went elsewhere.
Those near misses have not dulled his ambition. If anything, they have hardened it. Securing a pro card would elevate Gumbo into the sport’s elite tier and unlock entry into the biggest global stages, including the iconic Mr Olympia, long regarded as the summit of bodybuilding and men’s physique.
This time, the comeback comes with a significant shift. Gumbo has linked up with respected IFBB Pro coach Cherrate Youssef of Morocco, now based in the United Arab Emirates. It is a partnership built on precision and intent as Gumbo plots what he calls a disciplined return.
“The comeback has officially begun. New coach. New level. Same savage hunger,” said Gumbo.
“This isn’t a soft return or a test run, it’s a calculated takeover. We’re locked in and disciplined.”
There is added intrigue to the alliance. Youssef is the same athlete who edged Gumbo in the overall standings at the Muscle Mulisha Cape Town show in 2023 to claim his own pro card.
That came a year after Gumbo had again fallen just short at the NPC African Championships in 2022.
“For those who remember the journey, yes, this is that Josefe IFBB Pro,” Gumbo said. “Iron sharpens iron. Life has a funny way of realigning purpose.”
Gumbo admits there was a moment of doubt. He considered walking away from men’s physique altogether and even weighed a switch into open bodybuilding. The pull of unfinished business, however, proved stronger.
“Some dreams refuse to die,” he said. “The vision remains clear: becoming the first Zimbabwean IFBB Pro in Men’s Physique.”
The roadmap is already in place. Gumbo will appear at selected local shows later this year before setting his sights on a major international qualifier towards the end of the season.
“This is calculated. This is personal,” he said. “And we’re coming back to make a statement.”
