Body builders fly flag high at nationals
Prior to the nationals, all three Superbodies gym members competed in the KZN provincials in Durban which took place in mid-September as a means of qualifying for nationals.
Great physiques, a great mindset and a never say die spirit are the core foundations of the South Coast trio comprised of Samkelo Nqoko, Shannon Lehmann and Danielle Helberg who excelled at the recent International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) South African Championship held at the Walter Sisulu Sports Hall in Gauteng.
Prior to the nationals, all three Superbodies gym members competed in the KZN provincials in Durban which took place in mid-September as a means of qualifying for nationals.
Flying the flag high was Samkelo Nqoko of Gamalakhe who finished in first place at provincial level in both the U23 above 75kg and in the overall cross-weight division.
However there was no stopping Nqoko as he went on to win the national title in Randburg, succeeding former two-year reigning champion and coach Thandazane Ntsimbi.
“It was really amazing and humbling to have won the provincial and national title my first time competing, and to have succeeded my coach was honestly a dream come true,” he said.
The win at nationals was enough to see the young man from Gamalakhe qualify to compete in the World Championships to be held in Spain, but a lack of funding brought a painful end to the dream for Nqoko.
After placing second in the provincial competition in the ladies U1.66m Wellness Fitness division, Shannon Lehman also went on to compete on the national stage where she finished in third place. Still in her first year of competing, Shannon is looking forward to what the future holds.
“I’m really happy with my placing, and I can’t wait to keep improving and come back stronger for more competitions,” she said.
While in a spirited effort, Danielle Helberg ended her campaign in the beach bikini and fitness model categories with a 6th and 5th place finish respectively.
Still looking to take the stage this year, Danielle is still hungry to compete, “stepping on that stage is already a win for me, because it’s a lot of hard work that goes into prepping for a competition, and standing with the best athletes in South Africa and placing top 6 is a huge achievement,” she said.
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