Bodybuilders achieve top honours

Sasol set the stage for the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Mpumalanga (IFBB) Novice Show this past weekend at Sasol Recreation Club.

April 11, 2016

Carli Koch 1 minute read

Over 50 athletes competed in 11 weight divisions showcasing the beauty of the chiselled male and female form

Local bodybuilders, Keelan Griesel, Diane Loock and Annette Dye represented their province on stage.
Griesel entered the junior bodybuilding u/23 category and the men’s classic bodybuilding category. He placed first in both of them and also won the junior overall.

“The competition was really tough as many athletes had arrived from all over Mpumalanga to compete. This has been a very special win for me as I had been hospitalised for almost a week at the beginning of March which was right in my prepping time.

“No matter how hard it was, I just kept believing that I could do it and managed to keep going with the help of my trainer, Glen Molobela and also my friends and family,” he said.

Griesel’s short-term goal is to enter the IFBB Millenium Gold Plate Show on April 16 and hopefully qualify for the Arnold Classic in May.

“I am also preparing for the Mpumalanga Provincials in August and hope to achieve my goal of going to the South African Championships later this year.” To this end he would also like to inspire young people and promote the sport of bodybuilding.

Loock entered the ladies beach-bikini category and got a second place. “I’m a working mom with two kids. In 2014 I started my training with an online personal training coach, Annelize Dohne, the 2014 SA Bodyfitness and Amateur Olympia Champion. This has been one of the toughest but also the most thrilling journey. Not many people realise what it takes to get on the stage – emotionally and physically one must be 100 per cent tough. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.”