Bodybuilders hit the Tokyo stage
Miller wins figure at championships
On Sunday, September 17 three athletes represented New Zealand in the 2023 WFF Japan Asia Pacific’s Pro and Amateur bodybuilding championships in Tokyo.
Te Awamutu couple Mike Smith and Justine Miller from Trainstation were part of the team with top pro Rhys Martin from Christchurch.
Miller, now established on the world circuit after competing in the UK and Wales and more recently Bali and Melbourne, was up first.
She made a last-minute decision to enter her old category of sportsmodel before hitting her now more suited division of figure.
This is a hard task in itself, says team official Smith, “everything in bodybuilding is timed to perfection so to do that twice in a day is an incredible ask for any athlete. Justine pulled it off with relative ease and a second place in this class before refocusing for the main competition.”
Miller looked incredible in figure and truly cemented herself as a world-class athlete, taking out a win for New Zealand.
One of the highlights was allowing her 10-year-old daughter to join her on stage and proudly hold the New Zealand flag for the victory photos — a day Indie will never forget.
It was a big show and many hours until Smith competed in the professional men’s bodybuilding event alongside his teammate and good friend Martin.
This was the pair’s retirement show at the pro level, with both wanting to step back and give back to the promotion of NZ bodybuilders competing internationally.
Both performed well in a 13-strong line-up, although they didn’t make the top three.
Smith, backing up from winning the New Zealand pro show two weeks earlier, was delighted.
“I’m now 48 and stood toe to toe with the best in the world in their early 20s and achieved my personal goal of being one of, if not the most shredded individual on that day — reaping lots of personal praise for that and possibly still bringing my best,” he says.
“Another personal highlight for me was having the privilege of competing at the same time as my partner and making my stepdaughter proud while closing my career with Rhys next to me.
“Both [of us] would like to thank WFFNZ for their support, Paul from defined photography, delish tans and the most amazing team we have ever been part of, Team Trainstation Te Awamutu.”