Fitness Comes First in Evander!
When we get an opportunity to brag about a staff member of ours, we take it with both hands! Unique Welding is proud to present our VERY own Macherie Smith as the First Place winner of her division in the Women’s Wellness World Cup at the IFBB World Fitness Championships 2022!
One wouldn’t ordinarily think of the small mining town of Evander as a place that cultivates World-Cup-Winning champions such as Macherie – but here she is! If you’ve been one of the lucky few to walk into the Unique Welding Evander branch since July 2018, you may have been assisted by this very same person behind our sales counter.
“My favourite thing about my job must be my team here at the Evander branch, and the customers I’ve got to know through the years,” she says fondly of her co-workers and customers.
The IFBB World Fitness Championships 2022 took place in Santa Susanna, Spain. Macherie was one of 11 contestants competing for the title of Women’s Wellness (up to 168cm) World Cup Winner 2022.
“Honestly, it was my first flight ever,” says Macherie when asked about her trip to Spain. “I couldn’t sleep on either of the two flights, so it was a 19-hour nightmare!”
Aside from the terrifying transit, Macherie enjoyed every aspect of the competition. “My favourite thing was the whole crowd standing up when the South African national anthem played, in respect of the nationality of the winning athlete.”
For those of us who are unfamiliar with the world of Body Building and Fitness Competitions, we asked Macherie just what exactly goes into preparing for a competition like this.
“I make sure to be in the gym 4:00am every morning,” she says, “and straight after work I go back to do my second session of the day.” Each session comprises of weight training on a specific muscle group, as well as cardio. Training, however, is only a small part of the preparation. The correct diet is 80% of the work, according to industry experts!
“I stay consistent with my 3-4 daily meals all year round. When it comes to the last 4 weeks before the competition, I just cut out my dark chocolate treats and Five Roses tea sachets – just to be able to tighten up when picking up. I also cut down water intake in preparation for peak week.”
Macherie had to face some unplanned setbacks in her preparation, when just weeks before the competition she had to go in for an operation. This resulted in her not being able to train properly for some of the weeks leading up to the competition. “Being stressed about whether I would be ready for the competition was the hardest part in my preparation!” she says.
So, how does a girl from Secunda become a World Champion Fitness athlete? Macherie’s story, like so many other incredible athletes out there, comes from humble and hard beginnings. “My journey started whilst I was still in school,” she says. “I was bullied daily and just never seemed to fit in, so I spent most of my days just sitting in the art classroom where no one could laugh or make fun of me.”
Women’s Wellness World Cup – IFBB World Fitness Championships 2022
Macherie then decided to move to Secunda to go and live with her father and started walking to the nearby gym on a daily basis. The week after she matriculated, Macherie’s father got her a part-time job as a time keeper at the Secunda Shutdown.
“I worked 15-hour days, from 4am until 7pm, 6 days a week, and still went and did my gym session at the end of every day.” I think we can safely assume that the “gym bug” had bit.
“My Personal Record on free squats is 180kg, 6 reps down to the grass.“ Macherie admits. Would any of our men like to challenge her?… No one?
From those humble beginnings, Macherie’s dedication and strength has grown to enable her to win global fitness competitions like this one. Macherie has also competed and placed in many other competitions since 2014, including SA Fitness National Championships, and the Mpumalanga Provincials. Macherie has retained the S.A National Championship title for the past 2 years running – 2021 and 2022. What a phenomenal achievement!
“Because I’ve never had a coach, I’ve had to pick myself up after every fall, and every failed diet. I’ve had to face every critic on my own, and keep myself motivated.” says Macherie. “I am the best example to myself, because I’ve had to rely on my own instincts and knowledge. If I failed, I’d only have myself to blame.”
What has all of this taught Macherie?
“You must be able to take criticism, even if it breaks you in that moment, and turn it into a working mechanism to better yourself. You do not need to prove anything to anyone but yourself,” she says.
So, what’s next for our superstar? Macherie will be making her Pro Debut at the Arnold Classics in May 2023. We look forward to following her progress and seeing her hold up many more gold trophies! Your Unique Welding team is behind you all the way to the top!
“Any dream can come true – but only if you are willing to give what it takes to deserve it.”
Macherie Smith