A time for flexing: Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fittest of them all?

Peshawar, Charsadda residents bag Mr K-P, Jr Mr K-P, Mr Peshawar, Jr Mr Peshawar and Super Mr K-P awards.

PESHAWAR: This was not the time to be shy and the participants knew that all too well. They flexed their muscles, almost to the point of rupture, while spectators eagerly waited to find out who was going to be crowned the ‘fittest of them all’ for the year 2014.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) best bodybuilders gathered at Green Shadi Hall in Cantt to participate in K-P’s Super, Mr and Jr Mr bodybuilding contest on Sunday where among other prominent members of the audience, Minister for Sports, Culture and Tourism Mehmood Khan, former information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain and former minister Syed Aqil Shah were invited as chief guests. The four-member jury deciding who would lift the trophy was led by a former Mr Olympia (an international competition).

The contest, organised by the K-P Bodybuilding Association in collaboration with K-P Olympic Association, was supposed to held at the Qayyum Stadium but due to some problems with arrangements, the venue was changed.

K-P Bodybuilding Association Secretary Tariq Perveiz said contestants were divided in two broad categories: juniors, aged 22 or younger, and seniors, aged 23 and above. These two categories were further divided into three, on the basis of weight.

The junior category was divided into 65 kilogrammes (kg), 70kg and above 70kg classes while the senior category was divided into 65kg, 75kg and above 75kg classes. Each class comprised six contestants, of which three qualified for the second round.

Hailing from Peshawar, the 65kg junior category was won by Usman Muhammad. Momin Khan, also from the provincial capital, and Roohullah from Charsadda secured the top positions in the 70kg and above 70kg categories respectively.

From among the seniors, Momin Khan Wazir got the first position in the 65kg class, Salahuddin in the 75kg and Muhammad Ayub in the above 75kg.

Following another round of muscle-stretching, qualified juniors contested for the title of Jr Mr K-P and Jr Mr Peshawar while their seniors stood in line to be awarded Mr K-P and Mr Peshawar titles.

After an agonising wait, announcement of results filled the hall with cheers from residents of Charsadda as their hometown hero Ayub was crowned Mr K-P and Roohullah was named Jr Mr K-P. Wazir and Momin Khan were given the title of Mr Peshawar and Jr Mr Peshawar respectively.

Not coming as a surprise, the award of Super Mr K-P went to Kishwar Ali, who was the sole contender for the title.

Talking to the newly crowned Mr K-P, 32-year-old Muhammad Ayub after the ceremony, The Express Tribune was told that Ayub started bodybuilding 13 years ago. He participated in three contests but before Sunday, had not been able to walk the victor’s line. “I did not lose courage and remained focused on my diet and exercise. Today, I have achieved the title I have been wishing for all my life.”

Ayub said he was a daily-wage labourer and used to work out at a local gym. He later became a coach at the same institute and now owns his own gym. “Bodybuilding is a healthy activity which keeps the youth away from drugs and other bad habits,” said the newly-crowned Mr K-P. “Every person should do bodybuilding if not as a profession then at least as a hobby.”

But the six-pack does not come cheap. The daily cost of body building is Rs1,000,  Ayub revealed, urging the government to support and help the “healthy youth” which can make them proud at national and international competitions.

Uzair, a grade 10 student who had come to watch the contest said he recently joined a gym in Wazir Bagh and hoped that in 2015 he would be eligible to participate in the junior contest from the K-P floor. “Bodybuilding is my passion,” said the motivated young man. Later the chief guests distributed prizes and awards among the winners.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2014.