Buffalo City Bodybuilding athletes brought home the honours after claiming third place at this year’s IFBB SA National Championships held from September 2 to 4 at Walter Sisulu Sports Hall in Johannesburg.
The Buffalo City Bodybuilding committee hosted a provincial event earlier this year to select winners to represent the province at the nationals in Johannesburg.
The athletes hail from across the Eastern Cape including Nelson Mandela Bay, the OR Tambo district and the greater Buffalo City region.
According to Buffalo City Bodybuilding committee treasurer, Herisha Ramdhin, the predominant regions are usually Gauteng, KwaZulu- Natal and Western Province, however, she said the Eastern Cape had a strong group of competitors this year in various divisions, especially in the men’s under 90kg and the women’s body fitness division.
These competitors included Abongile Bhele, who won his line-up in the under 90kg men’s bodybuilding category; Cindy Dredge, a seasoned athlete who came second in her body fitness line-up; Marco Ferrucci, who came second in the Masters Classic over 40 years category; Sizwe Mnqanqeni, who took third place in the men’s under 70kg category; Sanga Gijana, who won his men’s under 75kg line-up, along with Bongile Dladla, who took the third spot.
This year was a difficult one for the Buffalo City team though, who were without member and mentor Andrew Sokolich, who sadly passed away in December 2021.
Ramdhin described Sokolich as “a key member and driving force of the committee … he was very passionate about the sport and served many years on the committee”.
In his honour, the team endeavoured to work hard to further the legacy he had left as an athlete and an administrator, she said.
In anticipation of the nationals, the team focused on a rigorous training regime and diet.
Ramdhin said training for a show took months, if not years, to prepare for and the key to achieving this was unwavering discipline.
Ramdhin was first introduced to bodybuilding in 2013 and after competing in her first show, she never looked back, feeling empowered by the positive changes the sport brought to her life.
“I love the lifestyle of bodybuilding and it supports a very dedicated and disciplined way of life that brings dedication and discipline to other areas of your life too.
“It’s a lifestyle and a great one to set goals and be goal-orientated but to keep at it daily with the training and healthy eating and drinking lots of water.”
The team extended their gratitude to their various sponsors including the Eastern Cape Sports Confederation which sponsored their accommodation and travel, as well as Nates Car Sales and A+ Auto-haus, which sponsored the team tracksuits.
