KOCHI: When 23-year-old Majiziya Bhanu was announced the winner of Mr Kerala Bodybuilding championship in Kochi on Sunday evening, the spectators gave her a standing ovation.
A final-year BDS student at Mahe Institute of Dental Sciences, Bhanu, hailing from Orkkatteri in Kozhikode is a professional weightlifter but had never taken part in a bodybuilding competition before.
“I did not intent to participate in this at all. I am a powerlifter and had never thought of participating in a body-building competition. One reason was that I will be required to expose my body. So when I came across a Facebook post on the event, I was still sceptical. But my fiancé sent me photos of Muslim women from other countries who participated in body-building competitions wearing a hijab. That’s how I decided to participate; it was just an attempt. I did not expect to win the title!” Majiziya laughs, reported TNM.
Speaking to the Times of India, Majizia said, “My fiancée encouraged me to attend the event. I had never before taken part in a bodybuilding competition. So, I sought the help of my weightlifting coach, who sent photos of poses to be displayed on WhatsApp.”
On Sunday morning, she participated in the bench press championship in Alappuzha and was crowned with the title of “The Best Lifter of Kerala.”
She rushed back to Kochi for the bodybuilding championship and faced the other six finalists and crowd with confidence.
Wearing her favorite black body-hugging sports suit and a headscarf, Bhanu displayed her unique physique through the mandatory four postures and landed herself a gold medal by impressing the judges in no time.
“I was quite confident of winning the championship as I found the other women contestants to be chubby,” added the wannabe dentist.
Bhanu is grateful to her parents Abdul Majeed who is a businessman and mother Razia, a homemaker.
Bhanu further said,“I don’t defy my religion as I cover my body. I am quite confident about attending more powerlifting championships in future. I want to start an academy for powerlifting to facilitate children in my native village to get training in powerlifting.”