Online Reporter
Tinashe Mukono
Zimpapers Sports Hub
SIX weeks separated two versions of Nomathamsanqa Phiri.
The first finished fourth on her National Physique Committee (NPC) international debut at the Malaysia Global Classic.
The second stepped onto the stage at the African Championships in South Africa leaner, tighter and almost unrecognisable before taking second place in her class.
The physical change was striking, but Phiri believes the more important transformation happened away from the mirror.
“I did not look like the same person,” she says.
“The transformation was brilliant. There were times that were very hard mentally, but even now I’m still unlearning old methods that kept me in survival mode rather than a creative mode and building on my strengths.
“The hardest challenge was crossing that line where you look good, but now you have to look great. Doing that took more inner motivation than what you see in the mirror.”
The six-week transformation marked another stage in a rise that began when Phiri, popularly known as Qira, won the novice category at the 2022 Harare Classic.
She followed that success with a national title and the Most Outstanding Female Athlete award.
Four months later, she made history as the first Zimbabwean athlete to place and win her category at the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) West Africa Bikini Fitness Championship in Ghana.
Her athletic foundation had been built much earlier through karate and volleyball, which she took up in primary school.
By 2025, Phiri felt she had outgrown the category in which she had made her name and switched from the IFBB Elite pathway to the NPC/IFBB Pro League, where athletes compete for the professional status she is now chasing.
“I wanted a new challenge, and I’ve always wanted to compete in the NPC, to be honest,” she says.
“After competing at the 2024 IFBB President Santonja Cup, my physique, shape and muscle density had evolved and would have been a little too heavy for my category in the IFBB Elite.
“I felt I was now at a place where I could take a shot at the NPC.”
Changing federations was one major step. Changing coaches was another.
Phiri joined the Hoon Squad under Stephanie Hoon after following her work with other athletes.
The partnership has changed more than her competition preparation.
“My coach, Stephanie Hoon, is one of the most passionate coaches I have come across since starting this sport,” Phiri says.
“Working with her has helped me not just in preparation, but also in understanding and facing myself at a deeper personal level.
“Some of my weaknesses have become strengths, and that’s rare to find.”
Together, they embarked on a demanding 23-week preparation for the Malaysia Global Classic.
Neither went into Phiri’s first NPC international competition with grand predictions.
They wanted to see how her physique measured up in a new federation and learn from the judges.
“This was a foray into a new federation,” Phiri says. “The shape is different and it’s a whole new level. We had to bring our best physique to the table.
“I really did not expect to place on the podium because I didn’t know what to expect.”
Her fourth-place finish gave her and Hoon a clear picture of what had to change.
They had only six weeks to put the judges’ feedback into practice before the African Championships in South Africa, another professional qualifier.
“I was much tighter, leaner and more shredded. My conditioning was way better,” she says.
The changes carried her to second place in her class and took her a step closer to the professional ranks.
For Phiri, the placing mattered, and so did proving she could adapt to a new system, accept criticism and evolve her methods.
She is now in what bodybuilders call an improvement season, giving her body time to recover while working on the areas identified in Malaysia and South Africa.
Those experiences taught her that improvement was not always about pushing harder. She also had to recover, listen and be prepared to change.
They also showed her who could handle the demands of her competition life.
“It has shown me who’s actually there to cheer me on and who cannot handle me when I’m preparing for shows because it’s a different me,” she says.
Phiri has also moved into coaching after completing contest-preparation certification through the IFBB Academy in 2024.
She is now helping other athletes through the same demanding process while continuing her studies and preparing for her own return to the stage.
She will not say when or where that return will be.
Instead, Phiri leaves a warning for anyone expecting to see the same athlete the next time she walks onto a competition stage.
“There are many more surprises cooking, and you might not recognise me next time because there has been so much growth,” she says.
“I have learned a lot, and I’m ready to share it.”
Six weeks transformed Phiri once. She believes her next appearance will reveal just how much more has changed.
