CHASER Chan Shu Jun has done it.
SWEET REWARD: After thousands of gruelling sessions in the gym and months of deprivation, Chaser’s efforts finally paid off as she placed third in her first INBA Competition.
She became the first female Sarawakian bodybuilder and the only Chinese contestant to win a medal in the International Natural Bodybuilding Competition in Melbourne, Australia, on July 2, by finishing third in the novice category of fitness.
It was her debut pageant but more poignantly, the 23-year-old fitness enthusiast from Kuching did it without the help of any state sport bodies except for some close friends.
She personally bore all the expenses – about RM20,000, including competition and grooming fees, air fare and food. She stayed with a friend while in Melbourne.
“I didn’t expect any assistance from the sports council because I knew I won’t get it. It’s an open secret that bodybuilders – male and female alike – are on their own when it comes to competitions. All we have is our passion for the sport to spur us on,” she confessed.
Chaser did not know what was expected of her during the contest. She thought it was just about flexing muscles like what men bodybuilders do when they compete.
Her male bodybuilding friends back in Kuching could not help her as they were as much in the dark as she was, if not more.
“I didn’t know I had to wear specific heels on the stage and perform routines I knew nothing about.”
Fortunately for her, she has a friend, Kiang Yong Kho, Mr Australia 2010, and his partner, Joanna Reed, also a fellow bodybuilder, to teach her all she needed to know about the rules of female bodybuilding competition.
Both her benefactors worked out a stage routine for her, helped her choose the music and fine-tuned her physique all within five days before the big event.
It was an intensive crash course and what made it even harder was that she had to practise wearing six-inch stilettos.
Her day started early – a run along the block to Reed’s studio where she trained for free, followed by routine training with Kiang and Reed.
The sessions were gruelling but Chaser never thought of giving up although she admitted she wanted the training done as soon as possible so that she could enjoy the normalcy of life.
It was the last chance to get things right for the competition – the strict diet and training was a ‘must’ but for Chaser, the addition of an “unfamiliar” stage routine posed another challenge.
The hardest thing for her was cutting down water intake to look “ripped” on stage so that her musculature definitions could be accentuated during the posing routine.
Meal times were no easier. For someone who loves food, Chaser had to settle for baked chicken breast and what’s more, she could not have any liquid.
“It was like eating a piece of wood. Seriously, it took me a long time to swallow.”
But her spirit lifted as the competition approached and she took to the stage like a fish to water despite having only five days to master the routine.
“It was exhilarating and exciting. I enjoyed every minute of it,” she enthused.
All the muscle cramps and body aches were forgotten – the excitement was overwhelming.
But the end came all too soon. Chaser remembered making a beeline to the buffet spread, pigging in her favourite brownies and a diet coke.
“I didn’t really care how I looked to the crowd. I was squatting with my six-inch stilettos gorging the brownies.”
It was all worth it, she said.
She said she didn’t do it for the money or fame but for herself and in the process, discovered that while personal glory was great, glory for the country was even greater.
“Now I understand why athletes shed tears when they hear their national anthems being played. I felt a surge of pride when I heard the announcer called out my name and my country’s name.”
Her parents who earlier objected to her taking up bodybuilding, are now more supportive – her mother in particular.
“Mum says she is proud of me and asks me to be careful when training. My dad has not said anything yet but he knows I’m passionate about my sport.”
Looking back, Chaser said the Melbourne trip has taught her more than she ever hoped for.
She has gained invaluable experience and would continue to compete but would be more selective over choices of venues, preferring neighboring countries with – as she quips – “a lower exchange rate.”
“I need to work on my stage routine and learn to pose more femininely. I never realise there are differences between male and female postures.”
So what’s next for her?
“As I said before, I don’t expect much but what I would like is to train in MSN Gym for free,” she said.
That’s just a fraction of the glory and pride she has brought for the country. Sarawak’s very first female bodybuilder has put the state in the world map of bodybuilding.