Durban — A Durban businesswoman recently shared that she was honoured but not shocked following her victory at a recent fitness and bodybuilding competition.
The President Santonja Africa Cup and Women’s African Championships were held on May 18 and 19 at the Colosseum Reale in Roodeplaat, Pretoria, involving athletes from across the globe.
Following her victory, entrepreneur Nicole Ann Halvey said: “I’m not shocked. I went in with a goal and achieved it but I’m humbled and honoured. I won the Women’s Fit Model division and came second in the Women’s Beach Bikini division.”
Halvey said that her involvement with fitness and bodybuilding began 10 years ago when she made the transition from rhythmic gymnastics.
“I grew up as an elite rhythmic gymnast, so dancing and performing has been a part of my whole life. When I retired from that, I found that fitness and bodybuilding were the next best thing I could get into that I could train and compete for. It gave me a goal to work towards and I found myself stepping from one spotlight to another.”
Halvey added that she was inspired by a few of her friends who were involved in fitness and bodybuilding and that she was attracted by the glitz, glamour and bikinis/attire that was associated with it.
She said that she is a part of the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) and that all the various categories were judged by highly qualified judges.
“In my category – Women’s Fit Model – they judged us on our poise, elegance, stage presence, muscle tone and one’s overall aesthetic. So my category is more like a fitness pageant. Regarding beach bikinis, they were looking more at the beach body.
“Show preparation was intense as it involved dieting for seven weeks for a show that usually requires 16 weeks. My coach, Ian Cornell, helped me a lot with his nutritional knowledge.
“It also involved a lot of training, cardio twice a day, for that full 7-week duration. In that time, I also shed 10kg to my current stage weight. There’s such a science regarding competing and you really get to know how the human body works,” Halvey added.
Halvey spoke on the differences between South African and international bodybuilders and said that for the former, it’s more of a hobby as they have to work, whereas the latter are able to focus full-time.
“Sometimes it can get tough closer to the show as one is depleted; after a while, you get used to it.”
Halvey said she might not compete for the rest of the year, but as part of the IFBB KZN officials, she will still be a part of the team. She is also the KZN team manager and aims to help her athletes for the upcoming national championships and get a few selected to represent South Africa in the world championships.
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