Borman to flex muscles in SA

NAMIBIA’S female bodybuilding and fitness queen Alethea Borman will compete at the South African National Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships in South Africa at the weekend.

Borman (29) is one of very few female bodybuilders in Namibia to have competed at an international level and will be heading for South Africa to represent her country once again.
She will compete against the best female bodybuilding and fitness competitors from South Africa at Pretoria’s Wonderboom Military Base.
On March 28 this year, Borman competed at an International Federation of Body Building (IFBB) accredited Shameen Classic in Cape Town, South Africa, where she finished second after champion Chantel Annandale from Cape Town.
On July 25 last year, Borman competed in the qualifying round called the Miss Body Fitness SA Champs in Johannesburg.
‘I am pleased to inform you that my fitness routine placed third, and overall I placed fifth and thus qualified for the Miss Fitness SA Championships. During the weekend of August 14, I competed in the said even and was placed fourth. Thanks for Ellen Greeff who assisted me with the choreography of my routine,’ she says.
Borman had a picture of her fitness routine published in the SA Fitness magazine .
Borman, who is married with two children, has been interested in sports since childhood.
She obtained Namibian colours in netball for under-19A (1997 and 1998) and under-21A (1999) and started training in 2008 for fitness shows.
‘As there is nothing in Namibia, I contacted Bernadette Beyer, the chief executive officer of Miss Fitness SA, to ask her permission to compete. She accepted my participation with open arms and gave me all the information relating to the show,’ she said.
For the competition at the weekend, the winner will compete in the Fitness America competition held annually in the United States.
Borman says she has taught herself gymnastics, but adds that there are five required moves in the fitness routine.
She boasts that she is capable of doing the straddle jump, cartwheel or somersault; one-arm push-ups, splits and the straddle hold.
‘On the weight training aspect, my brother, Joodt Opperman, works out my bodybuilding routine for me. We argue a lot, but he knows what he’s doing. As I was not South African, I had to get a top five placing in a pre-contest. After this weekend, my main show would be in July and August again. Of course I want to win the show, but the time and dedication takes a lot from me,’ she said.
Borman says she trains five times a week in the afternoons and three times a week in the mornings.
After training in the afternoons, she still coaches the Cell One netball team.
He product sponsors is Weider Global Nutrition, while for this trip, she will also receive assistance from Advance Travel and Tour.
‘My motto is that I don’t want to look back in few years and wonder, ‘what if’. I want to look back and tell how ‘I did’. So, for as long as there is breath in me, that long I will persist. For now, I know one of the greatest principles of success: If I persist long enough I will win. I think I have a great support system at home to enable me to achieve this much. Without my husband Theo, I doubt I would ever have made it this far,’ she said.
If you wish to support Borman in her quest for success, contact her at 081 122 8086 or 085 551 0288, or e-mail her at Alethea.Borman@transnamib.com.na