tawandamusarurwa
Deputy Sports Editor
CASES of women who successfully resume their sporting careers after childbirth have
become common.
The sight of American sprinter Nia Ali celebrating her silver medal with her son
Titus at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil was heartening. The 34-year-old had just welcomed
her second child — and little Titus’ younger sister — the previous summer.
Other examples include cyclist Kristin Armstrong, tennis stars Victoria Azarenka
and Lindsay Davenport, ex-WNBA champion Candace Parker and arguably one of
women’s greatest tennis players, Serena Williams, who won her record-breaking 23rd
Grand Slam (Australian Open) while she was pregnant in 2017.
However, the one thing that sets Zimbabwean body-builder Camilla Potgieter apart is that, unlike most of the professional sportswomen, she actually managed to launch — not relaunch — her career after giving birth.
“I had never really tried to do body-building or anything like that before.
“It started by just going to the gym in October last year to get fitter and stronger,”
said Potgieter. I also wanted to lose the little excess weight that I had gained after giving birth to my daughter, which I was struggling with.
“The decision to compete was a last-minute one, and I decided to give it a go,” said the 2023 Trysupp Novice Zimbabwe winner. The word novice takes a literal meaning when she tells her story. A veterinary physiotherapist, the 29-year-old, however, is an avid horse rider and actually owns her own stable.
“The body-building part of things only started eight weeks prior to the Trysupp Novice Zimbabwe competition, and I had a very short amount of time to prepare.
“Luckily, I was already a bit fitter and that helped a lot.”
What followed was an intense eight weeks of preparation.
“The training and the diet were very intense, as I think I only missed one day of
training or gym from the time I began in October,” she said.
“Normal pre-show training and preparation is usually 12 weeks, but we only had
eight, and what made it more hectic was the fact that I had never been in competition
and fitness form before.
“From a diet point of view, it was very restrictive as we had to have the right amount of carbohydrates, protein and all the specific nutrients to our body types and needs.
“It was very hard to stick to the diet and I remember that all I wanted to do was cheat by eating chocolate here and there or taking a tablespoon of peanut butter.
“For the most time, I managed to adhere to the diet requirements and it feels easier
now that I have finished than it did during the process.”
Things were even worse when it came to the actual training, as it was mostly high-intensity interval training with a little of weight training. In the gym, her intense programme included 50 minutes to an hour of cardio for six days a week.
Potgieter described her recent win in the Novice Zimbabwe competition as “an eye-opening and fulfilling experience’’.
She also managed to make new friends and meet her idol, Nomathamsanqa Phiri, at the event. She is now planning to take part in a few competitions in South Africa later in the year. “As I am new to the sport, I don’t have that many idols or role models in the sport yet.
“I have a couple of international stars, namely Chris Bumstead and his partner Courtney King, that I do respect and aspire to.
“I recently met our current Ms Zimbabwe (Phiri) at the Novice competition, and I think
she looks absolutely exceptional and was very inspired by her story.
“To have the physique she has, balance work and training is totally amazing,” she said.
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter