Bodybuilders impress in Uganda.
On November 19 at Hotel Equatorial, Isaac Mubikirwa finally clinched his coveted Mr Uganda title. In 2016 he had placed third in the competition, though six months later with greatly improved conditioning he won the Mr Kampala Championship after facing off in a tiebreaker againstq Andrew Ssenoga (2016 Mr Uganda). That made him the man to beat heading into Mr Uganda 2017. He displayed an even more chiseled physique, and walked off with the crown.
Now the problems facing the new champion are political. Many successful Ugandan bodybuilders have found it necessary to defect in order to fully pursue rewarding competitive careers. Ivan Byekwaso, for example, was one of the first sparks in Ugandan bodybuilding. He won Mr Natural Universe, but defected to Germany. And after several failed attempts to compete in big American shows Mubarak Kizito has moved to South Africa.
Beyond having limited access to wider international competition, there is a chance that Mubikirwa won’t even be eligible to defend his Mr Kampala crown now that he has won Mr Uganda. This is a massive problem for the national federation. Many bodybuilding niches grow out of individual stars, and the current system pretty much ensures that Uganda will not have one, by encouraging them to leave after achieving successes that opens international opportunities to them.
Recent months have also birthed a female star in Ugandan bodybuilding. At reported by Uganda7, the 2017 Miss Uganda Fitness competition witnessed a showdown between Irene Kasuubo, the Miss Kampala Fitness champion, and her runner up Lydia Nannozi.
Both women performed extremely well, but Nannozi arguably had the better physique and crucially earned the support of the crowd. She rode the cheers to a new title, but Kasuubo still has a reason to smile. She earned a sponsorship from Spear Motors.
Such big endorsements are essential to the growth of bodybuilding in less privileged communities, as they provide a strong financial incentive for younger athletes to strive towards.
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