Afghan bodybuilder Roya Karimi to go from Child Bride to Champion

The woman standing on the stage people in a bikini studded bikula.

His glowing, toned skin shows off every one of his defined muscle lines, the result of hours of weight training at the gym.

The perfect application of Roya Karimi and the hair highlighted by the blonde will not look at the finals of the Finals of Miss Universe.

It’s hard to imagine that just 15 years ago, she was a teenage mother in Afghanistan, dying as a child bride, before she fled to her new life.

Now aged 30, he is one of the top bodybuilders in Europe, and will compete in the World Bodybuilding Championships this week. His rise was meteoric – he only took the sport professional less than two years ago.

None of this looks likely when Roya flees Afghanistan with her mother and young son. At that time, she took refuge in Norway where she made a new life for herself, continued her education and became a nurse, while meeting her new husband, who also bodybuilds.

Bodybuilding helped him break away from the mental and social limitations imposed on him over the years, he said.

“Every time I go to the gym, I remember there was a time in Afghanistan before I was allowed to exercise freely,” Roya told BBC News in Afghan.

The story of Roya’s life is one of fighting against strict traditions and rebuilding her identity – and trying to inspire women in her home country who face widespread restrictions.

Some of the restrictions that existed when Roya lived in Afghanistan – a result of social norms. But they have worsened since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power. Today, women in Afghanistan are banned from school at the age of 12, take most jobs, cannot travel long distances, and are not required to raise their voices in public.

“I was lucky to get out of that situation, but many women still don’t have their most basic human rights, like education. It’s very sad and makes Roya sad.

But years before the Taliban returned to power, Roya decided he “didn’t want that life”.

Her decision to flee Afghanistan in 2011, leaving behind her ex-husband, brought many risks for a woman in traditional Afghan society. It’s not a time he wants to remember – and doesn’t want to talk about it.

In Norway, Roya faces a different breed. He had to adapt to a new, more liberal culture, find a job to support himself and his family and learn Norwegian.

It was difficult to juggle all the demands in the early days, but his efforts eventually paid off.

Roya studied nursing and worked in a hospital in the capital, Oslo.

Roya’s introduction to bodybuilding was the next turning point in her life. Attending the gym is not just about physical exercise; It is also a way of rebuilding his self-confidence and rebuilding his personal identity.

There she also met her second husband, fellow Afghan Kamal Jalaluddin.

He has a long history in bodybuilding and is one of Roya’s main supporters.

“Before I met Kamal, I was doing sports, but not at a professional level,” he explained.

“His support gave me the courage to choose a competition and break the taboo. I believe that when a man stands up to a woman, amazing things can happen.”

Eight months ago, Roya decided to leave her professional career and enter the world of professional bodybuilding.

It was a risky decision, even if the main challenge for him was not changing jobs. Instead, he said it was more about adapting to freedoms after the restraint he experienced in Afghanistan.

“Our biggest challenge is to break the boundaries and frameworks that others have set for us – the unwritten rules imposed on us in the name of tradition, culture, religion or whatever,” he said. “But if you decide to change, you have to free yourself from the frameworks.”

It didn’t come without its problems either.

The bikinis, flowing hair and heavy make-up she wears on stage are a million miles away from social norms – which dictate how official restrictions – which dictate how official restrictions – which dictate how official restrictions – which dictate how official restrictions – which dictate how official restrictions – which dictate how official prohibitions – which dictate how official prohibitions – which dictate how official prohibitions – which dictate how official prohibitions – which dictate how official prohibitions – which dictate how official prohibitions – which dictate how women dress and present themselves in his homeland.

Perhaps it is not surprising that his social media accounts have been bombarded with criticism, frequent threats of violence and even death.

He rejected the comments.

“People only see my appearance and my bikini. But behind this appearance, there are years of suffering, effort and persistence. These achievements do not come easily.”

But social media is far from a negative for Roya: It allows her to communicate with women in Afghanistan, talking to them about the importance of physical health, self-confidence and rebuilding one.

Now Roya is preparing to compete in the World Bodybuilding Championships – which start on Thursday in Barcelona – where he hopes to build on the successes he achieved earlier this year.

He won gold in the Wellness category at the Stoperiet Open Bodybuilding Competition in April – a category that promotes natural hitting, a healthy appearance, instead of a lot of muscle mass.

His victory was quickly followed by another at the prestigious Norway Classic 2025, which attracted athletes from all over Scandinavia.

From there, it’s on to the European Championships – which earned him a place in the World Championships.

“I feel a deep sense of joy, pride and honor inside me,” he said as he prepared to compete in the Spanish City. “It’s been an amazing journey all year, but step by step, I’ve been able to achieve gold medals along the way.”

From the aisles, her husband and son always cheered her on.

“Seeing Roya on stage is the fulfillment of a dream we have built,” Kamal enthuses.

But for Roya, this competition is especially for more than his family and his family.

“I feel strong in my mind and ready to give everything, hoping to make history by making this record in the name of Afghan girls and women for the first time.”