Bodybuilder Becomes China’s First Woman to Win 2017 Arnold Amateur Championship

Mou Cong has made history after becoming the first Chinese bodybuilder to win the championship for both women’s best figure and overall physique up to 5.4 feet tall at the 2017 Arnold Amateur in Columbus, Ohio.

Competing against 15 other ripped women on March 5, this badass 32-year-old has been granted membership into the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness, as well as a trophy, according to Shanghaiist.

“It’s not easy for me to win. For the first time, I got it. The award means a lot for me,” Cong said.

Cong’s victory has been 10 years in the making and she has received three years of Mixed Martial Arts training, and has also dabbled in wrestling and free sparring, according to China Plus.

She hopes it will encourage more women in China to participate in future bodybuilding competitions.

Prior to Cong’s victory, two Chinese male bodybuilders took home the titles of men’s bodybuilding lightweight, up to 154 pounds and men’s bodybuilding welterweight, up to 165 pounds, in 2015.

She told U.S. media after winning the 2017 Arnold Amateur, which was established in 1989 by Austrian-American movie star and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, that her motto was “realize dreams and never give up,” according to Shanghai Daily.

Cong has received congratulatory wishes from numerous Chinese social media users, but others weren’t as supportive, with some making extremely rude comments about her appearance and saying that bodybuilding isn’t the life for them.

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