Iqbal Sayed bags Silver at Amateur Mr. Olympia 2016

What do you expect from a civil engineer? Building great roads, bridges, sky scrapers etc. these would be your answers, right? Well, your answer is correct but you just missed on one thing. There is one more thing that a civil engineer can do and that is displaying an Olympian level bodybuilding. Did that drop your jaws? It is true in every sense. History is created in unbelievable ways and this is exactly what happened at Olympia Amateur Asia 2016 held in Hong Kong recently. A civil engineer from Mumbai entered the event and walked out with Silver around his neck. We are talking about the Amchi Mumbai athlete – Iqbal Sayed. Would you believe if we say that this was Iqbal’s first international performance? One thing is for sure, this is no ordinary bodybuilder. He managed to present India with a silver medal at his very first event. Who knows, may be in the near future, he will dazzle the nation with Gold.

Iqbal Sayed’s journey to Mr Olympia 2016

Iqbal is a 27 year old civil engineer from Mumbai. He also holds an MBA. Iqbal enjoys a fruitful career with Reliance Infrastructure and Mumbai Metro as Project Manager. Fitness and bodybuilding intrigued him and he entered this field purely out of curiosity and passion. It might interest you to know that Iqbal started bodybuilding only a year back. In just one year, this man has become Olympian Silver medalist

Iqbal had just started bodybuilding and hence he did not have any endorsers or financers. He was managing his expenses solely with his salary. Also, being a part of Mumbai Metro, Iqbal had a day job and so he had to manage his time really well.Iqbal’s first event was Mr. Mumbai 2015 in which he emerged as a runner up. He then bagged the title of Junior Maharashtra Shree and Mr. Ghatkopar. This was our champion’s history – no major state events, no nationals, no exposure to leading fitness tournaments. In spite of this, his talent and passion took him straight to the prestigious bodybuilding event – Olympia Amateur Asia 2016. Well to be honest this was to be expected. He was being personally trained by none other than Rakesh Udiyar, the man behind Aamir’s flawless wrestler physique in Dangal. This duo worked together for 6 months and in this short span of time, they achieved the unachievable.

In the start of the year, Iqbal had suffered from a shoulder injury due to which he could barely work out for the next 3 months. He had lost quite a significant amount of time however, under the guidance of Rakesh Udiyar he was able to make up for it. Iqbal, in an interview, addressed his coach as ‘legend in the industry’ and gave him the credit for his excellent performance and state.

Just 10 days before Olympia Amateur Asia, the most unexpected thing happened – Iqbal was diagnosed with Typhoid. Iqbal mentioned that he broke into tears when his doctor told him that he won’t be able to participate. However, it was impossible for Iqbal to give up after coming so far. He had to do justice to his 6 months of training. He had to honor all the support people had given him. In spite of the weakness, he kept up with his physical state, participated and even won!

Iqbal was competing against 20 power packed contestants from other countries in the Classic Bodybuilding category. These athletes must have been more experienced and seasoned than him. Yet, his impeccable physique and unbreakable confidence impressed the judges and spectators likewise. He not only represented his country but even immortalized it in the history of Olympia Amateur by claiming  silver. With this victory, Iqbal also became the second best classic bodybuilder in Asia.

Iqbal said in an interview that he did not enter the competition to win or bag any title. He entered to see what it was to compete on international level and while doing so, he somehow managed to impress the judges and thus became the winner. Isn’t he being too modest?

 Iqbal earned support from his seniors at work

Amidst all the hardships, what’s heartwarming to see is how the Iqbal’s seniors at Reliance supported him all through this. Iqbal, being a part of Mumbai Metro, had a full day job and he needed to manage his workout around his job. While his family was supporting him with his diet plans and mood swings; his colleagues at the work place were helping him with his workout schedule.

Iqbal specially mentions about his immediate manager, Mr. Abhay Kumar Mishra, CEO Metro Business for Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. He is also an All India Rank 1 IES Officer and has been a mentor for Iqbal throughout this journey. He played a pivotal in helping Iqbal to manage everything and stay determined. Another pillar for strength was Colonel Shubhodoy Mukherjee, Iqbal’s Chief Human Resource Officer who helped him with the time management he needed for his preparation. Apart from them, Sagar Shetty, Iqbal’s best friend, also helped him in remaining anchored to his goal.

IBBFF team was also very helpful to the all the athletes in arranging all that is required to compete at the Olympia stage. Below is a photo of Iqbal with Mr Sanjay More ( ABPF Gen secretary) which was taken at 3 AM.

“Once a bodybuilder, always a bodybuilder” says Iqbal

Iqbal mentioned in an interview that the saying “Once a bodybuilder, always a bodybuilder” is perfect for him. He started bodybuilding out of passion, but once he started, he did not know how to stop. His passion had become an obsession. Iqbal achieved all this fame and glory by working out only for 3 hours a day. He says that he will definitely be able to achieve a lot more by taking up bodybuilding full time along with dedicated work out, diet and 8 hours of sleep.

Iqbal wants to be a part of the fitness industry. However, bodybuilding is a very expensive profession and he is now hoping to get some support to carry on with it, after this victory. He, therefore, would be participating in more events in the coming days.

We wish Iqbal all the best for his future endeavors and hope that he bags more fame and glory not just for him but also for our country.

Iqbal Sayed bags Silver at Amateur Mr. Olympia 2016

What do you expect from a civil engineer? Building great roads, bridges, sky scrapers etc. these would be your answers, right? Well, your answer is correct but you just missed on one thing. There is one more thing that a civil engineer can do and that is displaying an Olympian level bodybuilding. Did that drop your jaws? It is true … Read More »