19-Year-Old Bodybuilding Champion Found Dead After Suffering Heart Attack

Matheus Pavlak Instagram

Matheus Pavlak overcame childhood obesity to become a champion on stage.

Brazilian bodybuilder Matheus Pavlak was found dead at his home in Brazil on Sunday. The 19-year-old bodybuilding champion reportedly suffered a heart attack.

Pavlak overcame childhood obesity and transformed his physique in an incredible way to be able to compete on the bodybuilding stage. Pavlak began training in 2019 an working with Lucas Chegatti three years later. The trainer shared an emotional message following the news.

“today ends in a sad day… the loss of a great friend, a spectacular boy who leaves us early, a tragedy that took us by surprise, had a bright future ahead, a respectable athlete.. God has his plans, it’s hard to understand, I don’t have words to say the weight it has in my heart.”

 

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A post shared by Lucas Chegatti (@chegatti_treinador)

Matheus Pavlak’s Incredible Transformation

Chegatti described Pavlak as a respected athlete with a “brilliant future” ahead of him in the sport of bodybuilding. He was a regular in his hometown of Santa Catarina, where he trained and took the stage for many competitions.

Pavlak recently competed in May, when he finished fourth and sixth in regional competitions. He was crowned Mr. Bluemenau in 2023 after winning gold in the U23 competition. Chegatti shared that Pavlak began training to overcome childhood obesity and he was able to accomplish many of his goals.

Matheus Pavlak Instagram

“No matter how difficult or impossible your dream is, if you really want it, you will get there,” Pavlak wrote in an Instagram caption in 2022.

Matheus Pavlak’s death follows an unfortunate string of tragedy within the sport. Chegatti worked with Pavlak for the last few years and together, they were able to accomplish great things.

“I was his first coach and I’m very proud to have had the opportunity to take care of him as a son… I promised him that one day he would beat me and said and done, the first time we competed together against each other, he ended up winning.”

Generation Iron sends condolences to family and friends during this time. For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Greg Patuto
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.