Sunday, September 5, 2010

The "Zippered" Bodybuilder

As you know by now, I am a fan of bodybuilding. I am far from having the physique of a bodybuilder, but I understand the sport. About a year ago, the idea to compete in a fitness competition started to bug into my head. I always wondered what would happen if a man with a scar down his chest walked on stage, what would the reaction be?

I still have not walked on stage, but there is a pro bodybuilder who has a very similar "zipper". Kris Dim has been in competition for many years, but since 2007, he has had a scar down his chest, smack dab in between his pecks. Near identical to mine.

I can't say that he is a hero or idol of mine, I barley know anything about the guy. I can say, though, that he is an inspiration to many people. Kris Dim is from Cambodia, a country that does not have too many pro bodybuilders. Although he moved to the US when he was 4, he had the dedication at the young age of 15 to join a gym. You can tell by his physique, that the gym bug has stuck with him.

He had many career wins and many mid place finishes until 2007. He was at Olympia a few times and was an NPC champion in the early 2000s, but he never gained the fame or recognition of Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman, Dexter Jackson, Dennis Wolfe and others. His career, however, is extremely respectable.

On June 8th 2007, Kris had a potentially fatal heart attack. According to Dave Palumbo, Kris had emergency heart surgery to repair a split in his aortic valve. What caused the heart attack? I truly have no idea, but Kris being a bodybuilder I can safely guess to many stimulants, or a mix of stimulants and energy drinks. I can be totally wrong on that, it could have been a genetic issue, could have been an accident, or just a freak mishap... either way, he survived an incident that could have killed him. Better yet, he got back on stage to compete.

When Kris started competing there were very few Asian competitors. Even today, you don't see too many from the far east, and Kris has never gained the exposure that Hidetada Yamagishi has obtained. I am hoping that Kris can be an inspiration to other kids with physical disabilities. I am hoping that in a few years there will be an influx of bodybuilders with scars, or "less than perfect features." Perhaps the teenager with burn marks on him will now have a role model and he will not be afraid to compete.

Perhaps in years to come we will see that Kris Dim was a pioneer, and for me, I am using this as motivation to finally compete... 2012 being my set date!!!