In a conservative nation like Bangladesh, women's participation in a bodybuilding competition is quite challenging. However, women need to transgress society's taboos in order to pursue their dreams. Maksuda Rahman is one of the few who has stepped up to promote female bodybuilding in Bangladesh. She took part in the IHFF Olympia Amateur Bodybuilding in Mumbai and earned an international medal, making her the first female bodybuilder from Bangladesh to do so. Maksuda Rahman's background as a bodybuilder and the possibilities of women's bodybuilding in Bangladesh are discussed in this article.  

Maksuda Akhter's Journey as a bodybuilder

Maksuda Akhter's dream is to see women participating in bodybuilding alongside males in Bangladesh. Her ambition came true when she won the Bangladesh Bodybuilding Federation's Bangabandhu BABBF National Bodybuilding Championship in December 2020. In April 2021, she won another gold medal at the 9th Bangabandhu Bangladesh Games.

A girl from port city Chattogram, Maksuda Akhter graduated from Patenga Naval School and College. In 2016, she moved to Punjab to pursue her post-graduate degree in Textile Design. She used to go to the gym on a daily basis in addition to studying there, and she became addicted to it.

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She has participated in national-level tournaments on a regular basis since returning to Bangladesh and has had immediate success. She made a name for herself after winning two gold medals in a row at the national level.

Maksuda Akhter has competed in the present IHFF Olympia Amateur Bodybuilding Championship in Mumbai, the first Bangladeshi woman to compete in an international bodybuilding competition. Additionally, she did not have to wait long to earn her maiden international medal. After participating in the Women Physics category, Maksuda came in third place out of 30 bodybuilders.

Maksuda made it to the top eight in the preliminary round, and the judges named her third runner-up in the final. Maksuda's next assignment is to compete in the bodybuilding championship pre-selection in France.

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Female bodybuilding competition in Bangladesh

Bangladesh's first female bodybuilding competition was organized in 2018. There was a lot of enthusiasm among bodybuilders about this competition. 30 female bodybuilders from across the country competed in the contest and they exceeded all expectations.

A lot of potential bodybuilders were featured during the three-day event. 19-year-old Awhona Rahman took first place in the first female bodybuilding competition. Awhona made headlines after winning the competition and sparked a lot of interest in bodybuilding among women.

Awhona currently works as a trainer at a gym in Dhaka, where she has seen a boom in female memberships since her triumph. Not everyone aspires to be a bodybuilder, but many ladies desire to join for the sake of fitness. Women have become more conscious of the issue because of the competition. 

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One of the key goals of the female bodybuilding competition was to improve health and fitness awareness. As more women get interested in bodybuilding and encourage others to attend gyms for improved fitness, the event has gradually begun to bear fruit.

In addition to Maksuda Akhter and Awhona Rahman, other prominent female bodybuilders include Dolna Gondai, Mim Akter, Tanjim Akter Tithi, Fatem Sultana, and Ferdous Ali Jhumu.

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Bottom Line

Women in Bangladesh were not allowed to play outdoor sports a few decades ago. However, things started to change rapidly in the twenty-first century, and women today participate in almost every sport or game that men do in Bangladesh. This would not have been possible without some courageous women who have stood up to a male-dominated society. Maksuda Akhter is one such woman who takes bodybuilding to prove that if given the chance, Bangladeshi women can achieve anything. Her winning a medal in an international bodybuilding competition would surely encourage many female bodybuilders to pursue their dreams.

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