Chennai: She comes across as a girl next door with her affable persona. But on stage, Abhirami Alagappan (21) from Chennai, walked the ramp as a fitness enthusiast and won over judges.
She bagged the bronze at Miss India 2019 NABBA/ WFF- body-building and women’s fitness modelling contest. This makes the law student and Neelankarai resident the second athlete from Tamilnadu to compete and also the youngest one to do so.
Speaking to News Today, she says, “I was actually interested in athletics. By the time I finished school, I started off with crossfit. I wanted to be a bikini athlete, but gradually, my interest shifted towards body-building.”
Today, she is a fitness competitor. Training at a gym in Neelankarai, Abhirami is coached by a Mr World title winner. “It is hard work and requires a lot of training. Ahead of the NABBA/ WFF competition, I trained for four to five hours for 60 days. I changed my diet, cut down on carbs, and increased protein intake. I was also on a water cut for two days,” she explains.
For a fitness enthusiast, the key is to not look muscular, she states. “I hated going to the gym initially. But later I began enjoying it. I gave myself completely to this,” she smiles.
And how strong is she? “I can train like every other guy,” she says.