WONTHAGGI resident Leigha Harris brought home six gold medals from two divisions after competing in the International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA) show in Brisbane.
With up to 20 competitors across the divisions, and entering both the sports model and bikini divisions, Leigha was stunned with receiving first place for both.
“I took out the overall sports model and the overall bikini which is just absolutely ridiculous! Then I was awarded pro athlete for both of those categories as well.”
“I went up there just hoping to place. It’s the weirdest feeling when your dreams come true but then they are so exceeded. It’s just unbelievable,” Leigha said.
Despite Leigha’s astonishment, she has reset the bar for herself and will compete at the Natural Olympia World Cup in LA California and the Pinnacle Natural Olympia in Las Vegas in November 2023. An opportunity that was personally extended to her by the head PNBA promoter Philip Ricardo.
Training for the competition for nearly eight months, intense gym sessions and strict meal plans saw Leigha get into winning form.
“It was five training days per week, three lower body, two upper days and that was done every single week for almost eight months. and then one hundred percent stuck to my diet. I didn’t have a single thing off plan.”
Leigha was determined to give it her best shot and not have any regrets and didn’t miss a day of training.
“I just wanted to get up there and know that I put one hundred percent in, because I would hate to get up there and think well if I did this or I did that, I might’ve got a different spot.”
“I fell in love with the journey and showing up every day no matter if you’re sick, if it’s cold, if it’s too hot, if you haven’t had enough sleep, you get to bed at the end of the day and you’re like you know what, I’ve shown up, regardless, for myself.”
This has been almost a decade long dream for Leigha and with other priorities getting in the way, including travel.
“When in Italy, you do not, not have gelato for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
And then children…
“I fell pregnant with my first child, so I had him on August 21. “
Leigha finally had the chance to tick it off her bucket list this year and was motivated by the naysayers.
“I was told that when I fell pregnant that I was pretty much I was going to blow out and get fat and that was the end of my body.
“I’m a person that if you tell me I can’t, I really feed off that and I just love to be like, you know what, I am going to do it and that sort of pushes me.
“I feel like we’re not given dreams without also being given the tools to be able to pursue them and literally achieve anything that you want to.”
Leigha returned to training the Monday after the show.
“We’re now training, putting on a bit of weight and working on putting on a bit more muscle to be able to compete with the American ladies.”
Leigh is currently looking for sponsorship to go to the US and if any person or business is interested in this opportunity, please contact Leigha at l_lharris@hotmail.com.
