The Sunday Mail
Deputy Sports Editor
WHICHEVER way Tinotenda Ryan Gumbo’s bodybuilding career goes from here, the one sure bet is that the 29-year-old is going to have a few good stories to tell.
Seven years into his career, he already has a thriving business, Trysupp Zimbabwe, and has started to plant the seeds for life after the sport.
Through his nutrition and supplements company, Gumbo has also begun to give back to the sport, as the company is the title sponsor of this year’s Novice Zimbabwe competition, which will be held on April 1 in the capital.
“After the sport (bodybuilding and fitness) was affected by the pandemic back in 2020 and part of 2021, there was talk of the competition being postponed and I simply couldn’t stand by,” said Gumbo.
“It is one of the competitions I hold dear and really believe in, as it is the entry point of our sport and the only contest that puts emphasis on beginners.
“I started my career at this very competition back in 2016 and decided to intervene.”
He also dreams of opening a gym, academy and another business in information and communications technology (ICT).
On stage, Gumbo believes 2023 is going to be a big year.
Born on March 14, 1993, Gumbo spent his formative years trying to find his true calling.
It was during those years that he, as a scrawny little kid, even tried athletics.
He later enrolled at Harare Polytechnic to do ICT.
“I was quite the athlete during my formative years and was quite the jumper (both high and long) during my schooldays at Highfield High 1 and 2,” he said.
“I remember, quite a number of teachers at school actually encouraged me to pursue athletics, but there was never any fulfilment for me in it.
“I mostly did it for fun.”
His love for bodybuilding came in 2009, when he set off to improve his physique through backyard gyms.
The bodybuilding bug, however, stuck.
He also later had a chance encounter with Ibrahim Musa, who invited him to his gym in Harare’s central business district.
The progress he made in building both his mass and muscle prompted him to make his debut at the Novice competition in 2016.
A second-place finish in the men’s fitness category gave him the courage and hunger for more.
Since then, Gumbo has a Marume Classic crown in the men’s fitness and physique category, Mr Zimbabwe title for physique and the ZITF crown in both categories.
He cherishes his rivalry with arguably the most charismatic competitor in the country, Blessing “CC Banks” Sithole.
But his dream is to make it on the international stage.
“This year, I am mainly focused on competing and earning my pro-card.
“I want to make history and become the first Zimbabwean to earn an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBF) pro-card,” he said.
He hopes to share the stage with some of the greats of the sport.
“Inspiration is everything, both in life and sport.
“On the local scene, I have always been in awe of Champion Chienderamwano. He was at the top of his game when I was still a rookie . . . he was really that one guy I looked up to and wanted to emulate,” he said.
Gumbo considers Ryan Terry, who has competed at the Olympiads, as his role model and idol.
“I look forward to one day becoming the rival to all my idols.”
