- SL-born bodybuilder on his wins at the ICN New Zealand championship
By Venessa Anthony
Sri Lanka, in the last few weeks, seems to have risen from the ashes and made quite the name for herself on the map, at least in the sporting arena. Yet another prestigious addition to the recent string of sporting victories came from Ruwan Palihawadana’s win at the ICompete Natural (ICN) National Muscle and Model Championship New Zealand. He received gold medals for Men’s Fitness Novice and Men’s Fitness Open, as well as a bronze for Men’s Physique 30+.
The most significant win was that he was awarded the National Men’s Fitness Model Overall Championship Trophy 2022. He was also the first and only Sri Lankan to revive a medal at this world-recognised natural bodybuilding competition.
Hailing from humble beginnings, Ruwan schooled in the district of Kurunegala, raised by his widowed mother and older siblings. After school, he worked at the Emirates airline in Dubai for eight years, and later, was fortunate enough to migrate to Auckland, New Zealand, where he currently resides and has been employed as a technician at the Auckland International Airport for the last four years.
In conversation with The Morning Brunch, Ruwan told us that his current workplace was very supportive of his passion for bodybuilding, and shared that the head of his company located in Belgium even personally congratulated him on his recent victory.
“My boss even came to watch the match with his family, and their constant encouragement and support was instrumental in this win,” he added.
Living a corporate lifestyle, it is no surprise that Ruwan is a very busy person; he commutes to work five days a week, and still finds the time to hit the gym six days a week.
“I work out for three to four hours after work, generally wrapping up my day well past 9.00pm. Then I have to prepare dinner and breakfast for the next day, being on a strict diet where the food needs to be made at home,” Ruwan explained, adding that if there is one thing he lost during the two rigorous years of training prior to his win, it was the time he could’ve spent relaxing, socialising, and occasionally indulging in food that he loved.
We asked him if he had any regrets about living such a strict lifestyle, to which he replied that he certainly gained more than he lost.
“The most rewarding feeling I got – and am still getting – is self-satisfaction. Before this competition, nobody knew me – no one from Sri Lanka has ever entered the competition,” he expressed, adding that his participation in the competition is not only valuable to him, but an honour for both Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
His journey was not an easy one – this win came with many sacrifices and criticism from his friends as well as strangers.
“My friends did not understand my body transformation – to get to this point, you have to lose weight first,” he explained, noting that he was constantly bombarded with questions on health, diet, alcohol consumption, and drug usage. He added that many would make remarks saying he looked like a drug addict, and that his face had shrunk into itself. Through all these harsh words, he stayed strong and laughed off the negativity.
“Some did genuinely have my best interests at heart. To them, I took the time to explain, and they always believed in me. I am here today because they kept me strong,” he expressed.
Speaking about sacrifice, he noted that the last five months were the toughest years of his life. There was a lot of work and several sacrifices to be made. For years, he worked to achieve his goal without eating a single unhealthy meal.
“My family is not here, so I had to do everything alone from drinking tea in the morning to going to bed at night. The day was planned, the week was planned, everything was planned properly,” he said, noting that at times, he was exhausted mentally and physically and had no one to help him get back up.
“I got back up on my own, always reminding myself of my ultimate goal. I went my way, I won, I earned the results of my sacrifices on a big stage in front of hundreds of foreigners with tears of joy. I won the goal I wanted,” he proudly expressed. He extended his gratitude to his coach Gayan Perera for helping him reach his goal.
Sharing some advice for aspiring bodybuilders, Ruwan noted that while yes, almost every man’s dream is to have a body like his, like everything else, it is not impossible or difficult, but one must have interest, dedication, and passion.
“There is no point in doing it if everyone does it. Just going to the gym as a trend does not bring the desired success,” he noted, urging anyone to only start down this path if they have the mindset and dedication.
