Nolan Aubie, a 24-year-old athlete from Penticton, officially became a professional bodybuilder last week after beating out 11 other amateur competitors at an event in Kelowna.
Bodybuilders from Winnipeg, Vancouver, Calgary and Northern B.C. arrived at the Rotary Centre of Arts Kelowna on June 18 for a World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) event in which a pair of division titles were on the line. For the two respective winners, the coveted “pro” card would await them, the ticket to compete in professional competitions on the national stage.
In Aubie’s case, it was for the physique title, a division only meant for competitors to show off their upper-body strength.
And after a decade of daily training, the Penticton resident finally became a champion after impressing a panel of 10 judges with his weight-lifting ability.
“You have to believe you can win before you do,” Aubie said.
With the victory, the bodybuilder is one step closer to competing on an international level.
“Just watching him in the last few years has been astounding and impressive,” Aubie’s father, Nick, told the Western News.
“This very significant win gave Nolan a pro card qualifier allowing him to compete professionally in his next competition.”
Aubie’s first taste of competitive bodybuilding was in 2019 when he was among the participants in a Vancouver event. He represented Penticton by finishing fourth in the competition.
“I have a lot of passion for this sport and look forward to competing professionally in the future,” Aubie said.
Now that he’s officially a professional, Aubie is looking ahead to competing in a national WNBF event in Calgary later this year. A win in Alberta would advance the bodybuilder to internationally-sanctioned events.
“I’ve wanted to be on the world stage doing this, representing Penticton since I was 14,” Aubie said.
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