The Sunday Mail
Ishemunyoro Chingwere – Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE bodybuilding king Champion Chienderamwano has lifted the lid on why he broke down soon after successfully defending his Mr Zimbabwe bodybuilding crown in Harare last Sunday.
The Botswana-based Chienderamwano shrugged off stiff competition from eventual first runner-up Patson Chatedzuka and several other musclemen to clinch the country’s coveted bodybuilding title for the second year running. Speaking from his Gaborone base, the champion disclosed that emotions, triggered by the death of a relative in the build-up to the competition as well as the value he attaches to the crown, got the better of him.
“Those were just emotions that got the better of me, they were tears of joy. It was a way of appreciating the honour that comes with being Mr Zimbabwe.
“Being crowned Mr Zimbabwe is something that doesn’t come on a silver platter, it’s a result of hard work,” said the 28-year-old.
For winning the Mr Zimbabwe competition, Chienderamwano walked away with just $1 000, an amount which is not enough to cover a professional bodybuilder’s nutritional and supplementary needs for a year.
However, the body building king says money is not everything.
“Money is not easy to come by these days. We appreciate whatever the organisers put together in prize monies. In as much as this is one of the most expensive sports in the world, which requires a lot of financial resources, it is also a passion for some of us. So, the titles are more important than money. I also have sponsors such as Cresta Lodges and Nutritech, who assist me a lot and I thank them for that,” said the two- time Mr Zimbabwe.
Chienderamwano — who has previously won the Mr Botswana and Mr Iron Man Botswana titles — is not resting on his laurels and has already set his sights on next year’s World Bodybuilding Championships.
“I still have age on my side; so, the country can still expect a lot more from me. I have already started preparations for next year’s World Championships and I am confident that by October I would have worked on some of my weaknesses and will raise the Zimbabwean flag high,” he said.
Bodybuilding analyst Quiet Shangai notes that Chienderamwano needs to work on his back and calves if he entertains any hopes of conquering the world.
“Champion Chienderamwano is now at par with Vaughn Carl who conquered Zimbabwe in 1997 and 1998 and Walter Munyikwa who won the big one in 2004 and 2005. He has won his second title in only his second attempt. He should be respected; otherwise the bodybuilding fraternity will not take us seriously if we fail to honour such an achievement.
“I agree with analysts who believe that Champion must work on his back and why should I question anyone who is concerned with the Zimbabwe champion’s calves? However, that is not good enough to make me doubt his ability to do damage on stage. After all, Dexter Jackson won 2008 Mr Olympia with below average calves,” he said.
