Watershed year for uMhlanga fitness queen
Berenice Bredenkamp has capped off an incredible year in the fitness industry, she speaks to NGN and tells us how it all started for her.
IT’S been a watershed year for uMhlanga resident Berenice Bredenkamp. Not only did she win the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) East Coast Classic (fitness bikini tall class) but she also won the KZN National Amateur Body Builders Association (NABBA) in the bikini division, over 163cm. She then took first place at the NABBA nationals and was selected to represent South Africa at the WFF World Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece, where she claimed the bronze medal.
“It’s been a fantastic year. My goal was to win a competition this year so this has surpassed all expectations. When I was selected for Greece, I competed mainly for experience and didn’t have any expectations. Finishing third was just an amazing way to end the season,” she said.
The 28-year-old started competing in the fitness industry three years ago and remembers her first novice competition. “It was a nightmare, I got all the poses wrong and I didn’t even make the top 10,” she said. Far from discouraging the fitness queen, she bounced back in the only way she knew how. “In a way I felt the first competition motivated me to work harder both in training and dieting.”
The personal trainer’s ultimate dream would be to qualify for the Arnold Classic.
