MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Two female bodybuilders from South Florida are headed to Las Vegas for a major competition.
The Olympia is considered bodybuilding’s biggest event, and the pair is hoping to break the stigma about women who train.
It’s a sport and a stage made popular by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and this year, two South Florida women have qualified to compete.
They are Iulia Baba, who will compete in the bikini category, and Elena Avilés Romero, who will compete in women’s physique.
Both are vying for the title of best on earth, squatting, flexing, pulling and pumping.
It’s taken them years of discipline to reach this moment, a very high level of sacrifice, pushing their bodies to the limit.
Besides the toll on their bodies, women in this sport face other challenges.
Avilés Romero spoke about fighting the taboo and the stereotypes while trying to prove muscular women can also be feminine.
Being called a man and fighting bullying on social media also fuels their pump, and the push for equality in their sport.
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