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Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
TWENTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD Angolan Luzileid Jose Dos Santos Luquembo’s name proved to be quite a tongue twister for announcers at last weekend’s Harare Classic, where he was named winner of the men’s physique category.
However, the mispronouncement of his name probably did not bother him much as he is used to it by now.
Luquembo moved to Zimbabwe in 1998 and is now accustomed to its culture. The Harare-based bodybuilder won his first big event of the year last weekend.
He overcame some of the big names in the category, including Blessing “CC Banks” Sithole and Weignrace Masendeke, who came out second and third, respectively.
His victory came after months of intense training and dieting in preparation for the event.
“When I heard my name being announced as the winner, I was very excited and overwhelmed with emotion,” he said.
“It was a victory that I looked forward to; I worked extra hard for it and it is the result of being pushed to the limits by my camp.”
Luquembo celebrated the win like any man coming off a strict diet, as his trainer took him out for a meal of sadza and beef.
The athlete has since revealed that the Harare Classic was just a stepping stone, with the main target being the National Physique Committee (NPC) event slated for South Africa in December.
The NPC Worldwide African Pro Qualifier — pencilled in for December 1-2 in Cape Town — is the last event on the 2023 calendar.
Winners of the nine categories in the competition will earn themselves an International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation pro-card.
“While the Harare Classic win is very important to me, I doubt I will rank it as my best or top win.
“That honour goes to the Mr Zim (nationals) win last year,” he said.
“I also have a particular show that I have my eye on and looking forward to competing in and winning.
“I have put all my effort and training into the NPC event that will be held in South Africa in December, and decided to use this Harare Classic as a means to gauge my progress and readiness for it.”
Luquembo will now be returning to his normal training regime, which includes two daily visits to the gym for cardio and weightlifting.
His diet also saw him consume six meals a day and drink as many as six litres of water. He credits his team, particularly Batsirai Gwekwete, for helping him soldier on. A few of the challenges that I encountered during my preparations were mostly mental and general body weakness,” he said.
“For one, I think every bodybuilder understands that the last couple of weeks before an event are usually the hardest, as the energy levels drop due to going under a very strict diet,” he added.
“The mind becomes your most important weapon when going through the process and trying to convince or push yourself to soldier on.
“I was fortunate enough to have a very strong team that helped me through all these dark times.”
Online Reporter