AFTER serenading the local, regional and international landscape with a defined and well-cut-out body, former Mr Zimbabwe Bodybuilder champion Paul Goredema appeared to have taken a sabbatical.
Interestingly, the soft-spoken and gentle giant, on the contrary, is back in the trenches, preparing himself for a massive comeback by keeping a low profile on the speed, agility and technical sport of Judo.
After throwing his opponents on the tatami and well poised for a historic Japanese Ambassador Judo Cup triumph on its return after three years on the sidelines due to Covid-19, the Midlands-born athlete faltered on the last hurdle in the men’s 120kg final.
“This is my hobby, and I hadn’t trained since my last competition a month ago. This was more like my practice session and had I trained. I would have gone for gold. But I still got silver, which is okay,” Goredema told EnterSportNews.
What went wrong in the final for the incredible hulk?
“I slipped, and my opponent capitalised on that. As a bodybuilder, I fell in love with Judo because of discipline. That’s all there is to everything,” he said.
Winning is a habit and having tasted how sweet it is with the Mr Zimbabwe bodybuilding crown. He is certainly making a return sooner than people might think. He crowned Mr Zimbabwe in October 2016 at the Harare International School in the capital. The following year he finished third at the continental Arnold’s Classic in South Africa.
“Yes, I am still in bodybuilding. I haven’t competed in a long time. I had to find something to shift my attention to so that I don’t sit around and do nothing, added Goredema.
“I am still training because I am in the professional circuit. It would help if you had time to prepare for competitions.
“I took a sabbatical from bodybuilding and its pressures of training and strict diet. I chose to rest when covid started, and I had to find something that keeps me active. Judo keeps me active.”
“I should be back on stage next year, God willing. This year I have just been training to keep fit. I am training three times a week and have Judo sessions three times a week.”
But before the much-awaited return to bodybuilding, he is hopeful of bagging a few accolades in Judo.
“This is my second time competing in a Judo competition, and you are likely to see me more often than not,” he said.
“I had always done martial arts before bodybuilding, so I felt compelled to do it since I wasn’t participating in bodybuilding.”
He expressed gratitude to the authorities and the Japanese Embassy for creating competitive platforms for local Judo athletes.
“It gives the sport more visibility that we have a lot of athletes and talent in the country,” he said.
“But the most important part is that tournaments like these promote grassroots. You noticed during the two-day tournament that it’s mostly guys from the high-density, school-going judokas and a few working-class guys who participated.”
