Locals ready for national NABBA stage
Power couple Tjokkie van Tonder (30) and Nicky Nel (24) will be heading to the NABBA South African Championships, scheduled to take place in Pretoria at the end of the month.
They secured their qualification at the recent Gauteng provincial championships, also held in Pretoria, after impressing in the bikini model for under 1,63 metres tall and men’s athletic body building under
80 kilograms, respectively.
Van Tonder placed second in his category, which saw a strong line-up of bodybuilders from all over the country as well as some competitors from African countries.
Last year, Van Tonder won his category at the provincials as well as the South African Champs after which he was featured in Muscle Evolution magazine.
In 2015, the then 21-year-old Nel competed in her very first IFBB provincials.
This year, however, she followed in Van Tonder’s footsteps and did her first NABBA competition.
She won her line-up and she was crowned the overall champion.
“Tjokkie is so committed to the sport and prepping for the provincials. We have grown so much as a couple. We support each other. There were days that we just wanted to give up.”
Asked about Nel’s thoughts on qualifying for the global showpiece, in California, US, she commented: “It would be a dream come true for us both.
We would be truly blessed and honoured to be able to represent out country on an international stage. We are even more committed now that we have qualified for SAs. We want to be in better form than ever before.”
