By Tendai Chisiri
All is set for the Fitness Physique Classic which is being sponsored by United Kingdom (UK) based health and fitness entreprenuer Cathy Martin at 7 Arts Theatre in Harare on Saturday.
Fitness Physique Classic which is to be staged in Zimbabwe for the first time started in UK in 2017 and is the brain child of Cathy Martin who is also known as Boss lady by many in the body building and fitness industry.
“I have thought of giving back to my community in Zimbabwe and also inspire and encourage female athletes to be confident in the sport mainly dominated by the male counterparts”, she said in an interview.
50-year-old Cathy Martin is a registered nurse, cosmetic nurse, health and fitness entrepreneur, nutrition coach and health management coach. She competed in 2018 and came second in the transformation category. She is an award winning entereprenuer after scooping the Health amd Entreprenuership Award of the Year UK in 2018.
She started to be in the body building and fitness sport after she lost weight and was very happy about this. “I was overweight and engaged in fitness excerises and that transformed my life. That is when I thought of being in the fitness industry to show my gratitude by uplifting the sport. I am not just in fitness only but I actually have a lifestyle brand titled BodybyCathy.”, she said.
She has a independent body building and fitness federation named Fitness Physiques. Her motive is to see women being empowered and she is the pacessetter of that.
” I am trying for all to see that female also matter in the sport. I am the only female running a show in Zimbabwe and a lot of women think the sport is for men but I want to encourage and inspire women that it is not just good for men as women can do it also. I am independent, I don’t want to join anybody even International Federation of Body building and Fitness (IFBB)”, she revealed.
” I want to do it my own way. Because that is the way I want to do it as I offer sponsorship to the athletes who would have competed. Like now, I was looking for sponsorship in the country. Nobody tried to sponsor the show and it is me alone so I am actually giving the athletes my own money”, she added.
She went to UK at around 19 years old and has lived there for about 30 years. Her lifestyle brand BodybyCathy in UK and Zimbabwe is a one stop shop for supplements, gym clothes and cookbooks.
It was launched in Zimbabwe in July last year and is thriving well. She also sponsored Regina Jonga to go to Indonesia for World body building and fitness competitions.
“I realised that there are a lot of people capable to sponsor female athletes in Zimabbwe but they just donot really value the sport of bodybuilding and fitness”, she said.
” Regina Jonga was going to represent the country and nobody came forward to help her. She came second at the competitions that is marvellous as it raised the country’s flag high”, she added.
She has been campaigning for the removal of drugs in the streets in Mufakose high-density suburb when she came from UK for festival holiday. She met parents of youths at a gym in Mufakose and commended them for allowing their children to be engaged in the sport. She is reaching out the youths in the high-density community not to take drugs as a way of giving back to the community.
She has a charitable organisation called Martin Reach Charity which helps children from poor background with education and health care.
Fitness Physique Classic is open for all athletes as Cathy Martin is independent.
Athletes will battle it it out in six women categories and seven men categories. Women’s categories are Bikini Junior, Bikini Open, Wellness, Figure, Transformation and Wheel Chair whilst in the Men’s category athletes will compete in the Junior Physique, Men’s Physique Open, Body buliding Junior, Body building Novice, Body building, Transformation and Wheel Chair.
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