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Meet the first lady of bikinis

THABI Ncube is a fitness fanatic with a well-chiselled physique that graces the covers of fitness magazines.

KwaZulu-Natal-born Ncube represented South Africa in the Miss Bikini, the first-ever category of its kind to be included in the WPF Body-building World Championships.

She was crowned Miss Bikini Universe 2011 within five months of having started her fitness and physique regime.

Her life changed when she teamed up with renowned trainer Lenge Kalenga, who became her personal mentor and the road to health and beauty reached new heights. Kalenga designed Ncube's diet and eating plan with the help of a strategic training programme to prepare her for fitness modelling competitions that started in July 2011.

"I start training at 5.30am for more than an hour six days a week and it has never been a walk in the park. I have had challenges during preparations that I had to overcome each day," Ncube said.

"Initially, when my trainer took over, he had a plan to prepare me for an international competition in two year's time. It is an honour to achieve this milestone in five months."

The 36-year-old mother of two has a full-time job at the Industrial Development Corporation, where she works as a portfolio manager. She holds an Honours degree in Commerce.

"My training has been consistent over the past few months. with new exercises from time to time to present my body with fresh challenges," Ncube said.

"The judges were looking for toned muscles but not the masculine type. The feminine side must still be maintained and a defined flat stomach is a plus. As soon as you develop a six-pack you have to move to a different category."

Most recently she was selected from 150 contestants as one of the top six finalists for the USN Face of Fitness event.

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