On the rise.

Simbarashe Mhaka walked away as a champion in the Beach Modeling category at the International Kuwait Cup bodybuilding competition held in Kuwait on 20 October. Mhaka earned his pro-card earlier this year at the Pretoria Classic in South Africa, but failed to appear for the Mr Universe competition due to visa issues.

Although extremely disappointed, Mhaka sped right on to the next event on his schedule, which was the International Kuwait Cup. He dominated the Beach Modelling Category and walked away with the grand prize and championship trophy.

“I was so hurt after failing to make it to Mr Universe and people made it worse by bad mouthing the whole thing saying I spent funds I received from donations for the event and made up the visa story. I am so happy about my achievement. This was my first line up as a pro and I became first. I am also very happy this victory silenced all the critics,” he told SundayNews.

The 29-year-old said that his movement from amateur bodybuilding to professional bodybuilding changed a lot in his career both for good and for bad.

“Amateur bodybuilding in terms of stage is a bit strict on posing compared to pro bodybuilding. The best part about pro bodybuilding is that an athlete is guaranteed to compete for good prize money and the disadvantage is that you will be limited to your federation and all amateur shows will be out of bounds for you.”

He also explained what is required of a competitor at the pro-level.

“Pro-life needs someone to be loyal to bodybuilding values, diet and a lot of focus. What you eat determines how you look and you need to focus on that and work like a horse,” he emphasized.

Mhaka also founded a successful fitness academy at Total Fitness Gym in Harare called G.S (Godwin Simbarashe) in 2015 with Edvaldo Mateu as the admin and Rachel Zvidzai. The champion currently has his eyes on the Common Wealth Championships which will be held in Australia in April of next year.

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