The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
WHEN Wilson Masvanise stepped onto the stage during last weekend’s Novice Zimbabwe competition, the audience knew little about him.
The same could be said of everyone who competed in the National Federation of Zimbabwe Bodybuilding and Fitness season opener, a competition tailor-made for those new to the sport.
While new to the stage, Masvanise practically grew up in the sport as his inspiration came from the legendary Muhambi family.
The 29-year-old credits Sensei Mugove and Lawson Muhambi, his uncles, for venturing into the sport.
He even put his football aspirations on ice and stepped away from a rugby career to venture into personal training and eventually competitive bodybuilding.
“My first love was football, from the primary and secondary days, and I loved the sport as a kid,” said Masvanise.
“I also played rugby at school, at first, and then semi-professionally with Old Miltonians.
“Venturing into bodybuilding is something I then chose, but I was motivated by my uncles Mugove and Lawson Muhambi, who introduced me to the sport.”
Masvanise started off lifting weights and then moved on to personal training, which is his uncles’ occupation.
The Muhambi name is actually big in modern sports.
It was made famous by the now-late Elson Muhambi, a boxer of note, who trained under the Stalin Mau Mau stable and turned professional in 2006.
He served as a councillor of the Epworth Local Board, but for just one term.
Mugove is fourth dan Kyokushin karateka, nutrition specialist, personal trainer and a former vice president of the Zimbabwe Karate Union.
With such towering personalities to look up to, Masvanise seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of his famous uncles and go into the family business of personal training.
And for some time, it was good.
It had its ups and downs, but Masvanise was convinced that he made the right call.
“I can’t really go into detail about my clientele, but personal training and fitness has been good to me,” said the body builder.
“I started doing personal training and coaching in Bulawayo and worked at Barberton Gym. I then recently moved to Harare after which I joined First Fitness Gym and also do a little bit of home training.
“It (personal training) pays the bills, but it does have its drawbacks. Some clients are not consistent, so sometimes the money is high and other times it’s low.
“The holidays can be a bit difficult as people don’t train much and, as such, there is no money.”
It is against this background that Masvanise decided to shake things up a bit and try out the stage at last weekend’s Novice Zimbabwe competition.
He got a little nudge from his uncles then figured out that the competition would be a good chance to test himself and spruce up his curriculum vitae.
“I wanted to test my body and challenge myself to see how far I can go in the industry (body building),” he said.
“I also got some encouragement from my uncles and they told me that it would be a good way to market myself.”
Masvanise competed in the Men’s Physique Open and came third behind Elton Matakara (Metro Fitness) and Bismark Ngarura, who came in first and second, respectively.
He still views the competition as a success as it gave him some much-needed exposure.
“I was really nervous when I first stepped onto the stage as it was my very first time doing something like this,” he said. “I did get more and more comfortable with time and I am proud of my third-place finish.
“It (podium) is not something I thought I would get on my first try and was really happy when they called out my name. I did not really care which number I would finish in, so long as I got a podium finish.”
Now that Masvanise has had a taste of the stage, he is craving more.
It is not yet clear whether it will be men’s physique or men’s bodybuilding, but the world has not seen the last of Masvanise.
