The woman standing on stage glistens in a crystal-studded bikini. Her glowing, tanned skin shows off each of her well-defined muscle lines, the result of hours of weight training in the gym. Roya Karimi's perfectly applied make-up and hair highlighted blonde wouldn't look out of place in the finals of Miss Universe. It is hard to imagine that just 15 years ago, she was a teenage mother in Afghanistan, married off as a child bride, before she escaped to her new life.
Now aged 30, she is one of Europe's top bodybuilders, competing in the World Bodybuilding Championships this week. Her meteoric rise to fame began less than two years ago when she took up the sport professionally. Roya fled Afghanistan with her mother and young son, seeking refuge in Norway where she forged a new life, continuing her education, becoming a nurse, and finding love again through her second husband, who is also a bodybuilder.
Roya's story reflects her fight against the restrictive traditions she faced in her home country. Every time I go to the gym, I remember that there was a time in Afghanistan when I wasn't even allowed to exercise freely, she told BBC News Afghan. Since fleeing, she has endeavored to empower other women facing limitations similar to those she once endured.
Her path has not been an easy one; she faced social media backlash and death threats for her appearance and lifestyle which challenge longstanding Afghan traditions. Nonetheless, she has used these experiences as motivation to encourage women in Afghanistan about physical health, self-confidence, and resilience.
As she prepares for international competition in Barcelona, where she hopes to make history for Afghan women in sports, Roya embodies the spirit of transformation and strength. Her journey emphasizes not just personal achievement but also a call for change in societal norms restricting women's rights in her native country.
