The Sunday News
IN 2015 Shantel Bhatch (now Mrs Greenland) set the bar for female bodybuilders in Bulawayo by winning Ms Novice Zimbabwe.
Harare bodybuilders vowed after the contest that 2016 would be their year, but Selina Manuel, a 17-year-old Petra High School pupil, made sure that the Ms Novice Zimbabwe trophy stayed in the City of Kings and Queens after she emerged the winner at LongCheng Plaza in Harare on 26 March.
This year’s edition of the Ms Novice Zimbabwe showdown had been drawing pre-contest anticipation at Body Works, where Selina and Shantel are members, since last year’s event that saw Shantel flex her way to the title.
In just two years Body Works Gym has managed to be the best bodybuilding centre in Bulawayo and two weeks ago, on a weekend when the main event was Mr Novice Zimbabwe, Selina added credence to that perception.
She had the best shape and most balanced physique in her division. Her upper body was tremendous and her back was the best despite the fact that she started bodybuilding in January this year. That means her physique only took three months to refine.
Selina kept a low profile at the event, but her physique spoke for itself on the stage. She carried a bit more muscle than all of the contestants in the lineup, but it was not too much for her frame. She arguably could have done well had she contested last year — Shantel could have won — that’s a given, but the kid was not going to make it easy.
In Harare, Selina simply had the needed shape the other women in the lineup didn’t. Whenever she was on stage she hit a pose straight on and did not turn to the side and twist to hide weaknesses. She didn’t have any.
The battle was never for Harare this year, the other contestants did not disappoint — Selina was just out of their league. She was in sharp condition with highly detailed muscle, especially in her back bicep poses. She was simply at her best.
The other women, in less detailed conditions relied on their symmetry and balance to make up for the not-so-pleasing muscle shapes in every body part. Still they did not stand a chance; Selina was the clear favourite and made the final decision easy for the judges.
For two years in a row now, Bulawayo has had two Ms Novice Zimbabwe champions thanks to Body Works Gym as the fitness centre continues to move through its growing pains. For Selina it was an exhilarating moment of which she had never dreamed of.
She said: “I started bodybuilding this year in January and I didn’t think I was going to do well but I have a great coach in Simon (Gama) and he helped me to be Ms Novice. It was not easy, I had to train six days a week. The training programme that Simon prepared for me was difficult but worth it.”
For her effort, Selina received a trophy, a medal and bodybuilding supplements. No doubt this down to earth girl will do well in body building, but Gama chose to preach the gospel of restraint.
“I am a proud trainer; in two years I have trained two brilliant women who have gone on to win in Harare. Harare used to take everything but now things are changing. As much as people in bodybuilding are excited about Selina I ask them not to expect too much from her. She is still at school after all. She needs to keep working hard for her to stay at the top. If she relaxes she will find herself at the bottom,” said Gama.
Simon is right there is no room for complacency in bodybuilding. Many champions were turned into also-rans because they rested on their laurels. It has happened to the best of them, Selina will be no exception if she puts the weights down.
