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A 61-year-old man who won the first bodybuilding competition he entered is urging others not to define themselves by their age.<\/b><\/p>\n
Ian Fox, from Selsey in West Sussex, said he had always kept in shape but was encouraged to enter a bodybuilding competition after he started training at Imperium Strength Fitness in Chichester earlier this year.<\/p>\n
He then won the over 50s category at the PCA First Timers event in Derby last weekend, earning an invitation to the world championships in Seville later this week.<\/p>\n
He told BBC Radio Derby:<\/a> “You are what you think, and whatever you think, you become.”<\/p>\n He added: “You define yourself by your age, and that’s what you shouldn’t do.”<\/p>\n Fox was full of praise for coach Marcelo Prado at Imperium Strength for supporting him as he prepared for the competition.<\/p>\n He said: “It was a bit daunting at first. I’d never done it before, I didn’t really know what to do, but you learn don’t you?”<\/p>\n Fox said he and his wife planned to travel to Seville for the event.<\/p>\n “You can’t let this go,” he stressed.<\/p>\n While the trip to Spain is a bonus, the Selsey resident said it was ultimately about challenging “the perception of what people in their 60s can achieve”. <\/p>\n “For me, there’s a bigger message here than bodybuilding,” he said.<\/p>\n “It’s about continuing to set yourself goals, having the courage to do something you’ve never done before and refusing to let your age dictate what’s possible.”<\/p>\n Follow BBC Sussex on <\/i>Facebook<\/i>, external<\/span><\/a>, on <\/i>X<\/i>, external<\/span><\/a>, and on <\/i>Instagram<\/i>, external<\/span><\/a> and listen to BBC Radio Sussex <\/i>on Sounds<\/i><\/a>. Send your story ideas to <\/i>southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk<\/i>, external<\/span><\/a> or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n