Key Points<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Elizabeth Smart won Fit Model Novice at the Wasatch Warrior bodybuilding and fitness competition in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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The kidnapping survivor revealed this was her fourth time competing, but she was “afraid” to publicly share until now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Smart was 14 when she was abducted from her home and held captive for nine months until she was rescued in March 2003.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Elizabeth Smart <\/a>is showing her strength inside and out.<\/p>\nThe child safety advocate, who survived a 2002 kidnapping as a teen, won first place in the Fit Model Novice category at the Wasatch Warrior<\/a> bodybuilding and fitness competition in Salt Lake City over the weekend.<\/p>\nIt was actually her fourth time competing, \u201cbut I was too afraid to post it before,\u201d Smart confessed in an Instagram caption<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n![\"Elizabeth](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/P3GLUlJvA_qWQ6yakWBViQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTc1NTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/entertainment_weekly_785\/5239c919577effd9e8e19c8ce62412d0\"\/)
<\/div>\nElizabeth Smart competing at Wasatch Warrior
Credit: Robyn Maher\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The image of the mom of three, looking svelte in a navy bikini and posing onstage, came as a shock to many of her followers \u2014 and Smart herself admitted \u201cnever in 100 years\u201d would she have ever envisioned doing something like this.<\/p>\n
As she explained, she had worried that publicizing her interest in bodybuilding might make people perceive her as \u201cunworthy to continue work as an advocate for all survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n
But after the competition, in which she also ranked third in the Fit Model Masters 35+ category, the 38-year-old decided to reclaim her narrative as a survivor of sexual assault, more than two decades after she was rescued from abductors Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cI am interested in many things, and as I get older I realize more and more how important it is to make the most of today, we don\u2019t know what tomorrow brings,\u201d Smart explained in her Instagram caption. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t want to reach the end of my life and look back and feel regret for only living a half-life, not going after all the things I want to do and try. This was a big change for me, it was hard, it pushed me, challenged me not to give up.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2002, Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom and held captive by Mitchell and Barzee for nine agonizing months spent shackled and subjected to daily sexual assault.\u00a0That\u2019s why now, competing as a bodybuilder, provides a unique way of healing from the traumatic experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so proud of my body, and I want to celebrate it,\u201d Smart said. \u201cMy body has carried me through every worst day, every hellish grueling experience, it\u2019s created and nurtured three beautiful children, my body has risen to every single challenge life has presented it with, and carried me through so I refuse to be ashamed of it. I refuse to feel embarrassed about trying something new and am embracing my chance at life to the absolute fullest I can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Elizabeth](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/sBFfqfBMdc_zHOOGaVONDw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcyMTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/entertainment_weekly_785\/448896bfc9f9e425ff655d3ba89c6996\"\/)
<\/div>\nElizabeth Smart (center)
Credit: Mackenzie Paralee Holsombake\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
This isn\u2019t the first time Smart has done something outside her comfort zone. In 2021, she competed on The Masked Dancer<\/em><\/a> as Ms. Moth.<\/p>\nWhen she got the call, she thought producers had the wrong number. \u201cI\u2019m not a dancer. I\u2019ve never trained. That\u2019s not my forte in life,\u201d Smart told Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a> at the time.<\/p>\nHer initial reaction was to say \u201cno,\u201d but her grandmother\u2019s recent passing made the young woman rethink her own life. \u201cShe did a lot of really serious things, but she also had a lot of fun,\u201d Smart said.<\/p>\n
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cI feel like I’ve lived a pretty serious life,” she acknowledged. “I\u2019ve dedicated really a lot of my life since I was rescued from being kidnapped to serious issues\u2026 so why not do something that’s fun? Why not do something that brings a little bit of light to my life and maybe to people watching?\u201d<\/p>\n
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Elizabeth Smart won Fit Model Novice at the Wasatch Warrior bodybuilding and fitness competition in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
The kidnapping survivor revealed this was her fourth time competing, but she was “afraid” to publicly share until now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Smart was 14 when she was abducted from her home and held captive for nine months until she was rescued in March 2003.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Elizabeth Smart <\/a>is showing her strength inside and out.<\/p>\n The child safety advocate, who survived a 2002 kidnapping as a teen, won first place in the Fit Model Novice category at the Wasatch Warrior<\/a> bodybuilding and fitness competition in Salt Lake City over the weekend.<\/p>\n It was actually her fourth time competing, \u201cbut I was too afraid to post it before,\u201d Smart confessed in an Instagram caption<\/a>.<\/p>\n Elizabeth Smart competing at Wasatch Warrior The image of the mom of three, looking svelte in a navy bikini and posing onstage, came as a shock to many of her followers \u2014 and Smart herself admitted \u201cnever in 100 years\u201d would she have ever envisioned doing something like this.<\/p>\n As she explained, she had worried that publicizing her interest in bodybuilding might make people perceive her as \u201cunworthy to continue work as an advocate for all survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n But after the competition, in which she also ranked third in the Fit Model Masters 35+ category, the 38-year-old decided to reclaim her narrative as a survivor of sexual assault, more than two decades after she was rescued from abductors Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI am interested in many things, and as I get older I realize more and more how important it is to make the most of today, we don\u2019t know what tomorrow brings,\u201d Smart explained in her Instagram caption. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t want to reach the end of my life and look back and feel regret for only living a half-life, not going after all the things I want to do and try. This was a big change for me, it was hard, it pushed me, challenged me not to give up.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2002, Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom and held captive by Mitchell and Barzee for nine agonizing months spent shackled and subjected to daily sexual assault.\u00a0That\u2019s why now, competing as a bodybuilder, provides a unique way of healing from the traumatic experience.<\/p>\n \u201cI am so proud of my body, and I want to celebrate it,\u201d Smart said. \u201cMy body has carried me through every worst day, every hellish grueling experience, it\u2019s created and nurtured three beautiful children, my body has risen to every single challenge life has presented it with, and carried me through so I refuse to be ashamed of it. I refuse to feel embarrassed about trying something new and am embracing my chance at life to the absolute fullest I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Elizabeth Smart (center) This isn\u2019t the first time Smart has done something outside her comfort zone. In 2021, she competed on The Masked Dancer<\/em><\/a> as Ms. Moth.<\/p>\n When she got the call, she thought producers had the wrong number. \u201cI\u2019m not a dancer. I\u2019ve never trained. That\u2019s not my forte in life,\u201d Smart told Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n Her initial reaction was to say \u201cno,\u201d but her grandmother\u2019s recent passing made the young woman rethink her own life. \u201cShe did a lot of really serious things, but she also had a lot of fun,\u201d Smart said.<\/p>\n Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I’ve lived a pretty serious life,” she acknowledged. “I\u2019ve dedicated really a lot of my life since I was rescued from being kidnapped to serious issues\u2026 so why not do something that’s fun? Why not do something that brings a little bit of light to my life and maybe to people watching?\u201d<\/p>\n Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
Credit: Robyn Maher\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>
Credit: Mackenzie Paralee Holsombake\/Instagram<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n