Bodybuilder Stephanie Caruso, a Queenstown Airport senior firefighter, has been on a winning streak at regional, national and Oceania ICN Federation champs.
The 33-year-old won Ms Classic Figure at the qualifying regionals in Christchurch, then took out the same category at the nationals in Taupo over Labour Weekend.
She then won Ms Classic Figure and Sports Model amateur titles at the Oceania pro-am show in Christchurch last Saturday, which attracted Australian as well as New Zealand bodybuilders.
This qualified her for the pro section where she won her second Sports Model title.
"It’s unreal because it’s back-to-back shows, and this is the next thing," she says.
In the process, Caruso also qualified for the upcoming worlds in Dubai, but won’t be going, not just because of the cost but so she can develop a bigger and better physique.
A former semi-professional football player in Italy, the former Canadian then took up jujitsu, winning a NZ blue belt title before switching to bodybuilding in 2021.
She initially struggled, taking home nothing in her first year of competing before winning a novice title last year.
"Training consistently, fuelling with whole foods and learning to rest and recover correctly has taken me to this moment in time."
Though she’ll be away from the competition stage for a while, Caruso, who trains weights and cardio 20 to 25 hours a week, says "now it’s just a matter of building more muscle".
"In order to do that I need to eat more and feel better and lift heavier weights."
