DOUBLE TROUBLE

From pumping iron to competing overseas, this Cape Town father-daughter bodybuilding duo are stronger together

- ALULUTHO GUZANA & ROSS MICHAELS

HE'S in his element when he’s on stage, flexing his muscles, showing off his super-toned physique and doing South Africa proud at some of the biggest bodybuilding events on the planet.

But at this year’s World Natural Bodybuilding Federation championship in Spain, Alistair Gladden discovered there's something even more satisfying than winning medals — it’s seeing your daughter make her international debut in the sport you love.

At 16, Tamia was the youngest athlete to compete at the championships yet she managed a creditable fourth place in the Junior Bikini division for women aged 18-23.

Then she got to cheer her father on as he secured third place in the Classic Physique Masters and came fourth in the Bodybuilding Masters, a division for athletes aged 40 and above.

“My dad and I are both happy with our results,” Tamia tells YOU from Spain. “I enjoyed the experience of standing on stage with international girls, especially because I got to go with my parents.”

While Alistair (41) was pleased with his results, his biggest delight was seeing his only child following in his footsteps.

“I'm a very proud dad and happy to have a daughter who has the discipline and dedication to take part,” he says.

ALISTAIR'S passion for fitness started from a young age. Growing up he admired iconic musclemen such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sylvester Stallone.

“I wanted to look like them,” he says. “I remember back in 2000 I went to the local library in Valhalla Park in Cape Town, where I grew up, and got Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding to help me train.”

From the age of 18 he started out training with free weights and a chair in his room and when he was in his early 20s he was able to join a gym.

“Initially I wanted to build strength and muscle,” he says. “And then someone at my gym invited me to go and watch a bodybuilding competition and that encouraged me to try to compete.”