KOCHI: It is rare that a fully-clad hijabwearing contestant wins a body building competition, that too when the fellow contestants could show their fully toned bodies. Majiziya Bhanu , who hails from Orkkatteri in Kozhikode, could do just that as she was able to wow the judges by her fitness despite wearing a body-hugging sportswear and won the gold at a body building event held in Kochi on Sunday evening.

Majiziya Bhanu, a professional weightlifter, was on her way to Kozhikode after attending the contest in Alappuzha , when she heard about the contest in Kochi.

“My fiancée encouraged me to attend the event. I had never before taken part in a bodybuilding competition . So, I sought the help of my weightlifting coach, who sent photos of poses to be displayed on WhatsApp,” said Majizia, a final-year BDS student.

“I was quite confident of winning the championship as I found the other women contestants to be chubby,” she added. Wearing black body-hugging sports pants, full sleeve tight top and a headscarf, Majiziya displayed her physique through the mandatory four postures. Within hours after winning the powerlifting championship in Alappuzha, Majiziya achieved success once again in the bodybuilding championship in Kochi.

“I don’t defy my religion as I cover my body. I am quite confident about attending more powerlifting championships in future. I want to start an academy for powerlifting to facilitate children in my native village to get training in powerlifting,” she said.

Majiziya follows a strict diet and does not eat rice so that she can maintain her weight. Her daily diet includes vegetables, goat milk, dry fruits, chicken and oats.

While girls in her age walk extra miles to make their bodies flimsy, Majiziya prefers to focus on fitness.

She says that she is grateful to her parents for their unequivocal support in allowing her to participate in the weightlifting championship. Her father Abdul Majeed is a businessman in the Middle East while her mother Razia is a homemaker.

