After ticking her goal of winning the SA National Amateur Bodybuilding Championship for Ladies Beach Bikini category, local bodybuilder Milisa Mpeta wants to check the FitModel and Bikini categories next in her box of achievements.
The 24-year old says moving from Beach Bikini to Bikini and eventually FitModel categories will allow her to fly the South African flag in the World Championships and other international competitions.
Mpeta won the starter level Ladies Beach Bikini for the under 163cm category in Cape Town recently.
The scope of the category is to display a fit, toned and balanced physique that is softer and less muscular than the Bikini division which she plans to venture into in 2027.
Bikini bodybuilding is a structured competitive division requiring specific muscle mass, leanness and stage conditioning.
FitModel is her long-term goal, which rewards a toned, balanced, and softer aesthetic, similar to a fitness magazine cover model.
She acknowledged there was some work to be done in the transition and for her to be a household name in those categories.
“My goal has always been Bikini. Once again, as I did last year for the Beach Bikini, I will be taking some time off to get back to building,” Mpeta said.
“With the help of my coach, I intend to move up to Bikini next year.
“I would also like to pursue the FitModel division.
“Apart from having my heart set on the Bikini division from the start, Beach Bikini is a local division which makes it exclusively South African.”
She said she had been preparing for the Beach Bikini competition since September in 2025, the day of the last National Championship, which was her first time competing.
She was inexperienced at the time, did not know exactly what to expect, and, as a result, did not make it to the top six.
“I did not let that deter me,” Mpeta said.
“To my luck, I had a brilliant coach who had already mapped out what the journey to my next show would look like.
“So immediately after this show, we went into a ‘growing season’ where the aim was to put on more weight and more muscle mass.
“I suppose this would be the building part of the bodybuilding sport. I was bigger, I was stronger and training rigorously.
“We then gradually transitioned into a diet phase around February, which would be the official prep to get on stage for the local, regional and national shows.
“Beach Bikini has served me well.
“Winning overall was beyond my wildest expectations and it really validated that I am on the right path.”
She credited her mother and coach, saying they had been the foundation and support system she needed to get her journey this far.
Daily Dispatch
