Top spot for Imke in beach bikini section

IMKE Potgieter took the beach bikini honours at the International Federation of Body-building and Fitness (IFBB) KZN East Coast Classic championships on Saturday, 28 June.

Toti local, Imke is thrilled to have scooped first place in the beach bikini section at the championships. “I enjoyed the competition and I can’t wait to do more,” she said. Imke, who is new to the competition scene, has already set her eyes on bigger goals and hopes to compete in leaner divisions in the upcoming months.

“I hope to compete in IFBB KZN Open in August. Thereafter, I will take a few months off and work towards competing in leaner divisions, such as fitness bikini or body fitness.”

Her passion for the sport was kindled in her younger days, but it was only when she received help from a personal trainer that her dreams became a reality.

“I always wanted to be fit and compete ever since I was a little girl. I remember looking at the covers of fitness magazines and thinking how amazing those women looked.

I couldn’t find a personal trainer who took me seriously, all their training was always cardio-based. When I went to New Zealand in 2012 for a year, where my brother is a qualified personal trainer, he taught me all there is to know about lifting heavy.”

Imke describes her training as tough but enjoyable. To keep up with the high demands of the sport, she has a nutritionist based in New Zealand to keep her on track. Unfortunately for her, her diet includes cutting out cake as part of competition preparation, which she has not taken to.

She is currently studying to become a sports nutritionist and and thereafter she will tackle a national certificate in personal training. She will be launching a Facebook page, ‘Imke FIT’ where people can follow her and receive training tips and tasty recipes.