Russian world champion bodybuilder Nataliya Kuznetsova doesn’t mind that her husband has smaller biceps than her because ‘mutual love and support’ are all that matter
- Nataliya Kuznetsova became a champion of the region of Zabaykalsky Krai at 15
- The bodybuilder from Chita, Russia, first startedgoing to the gym at the age of 14
- Set world records at 2014 World champion for armlifting and bench pressing
A world champion bodybuilder has said she does not care that her husband has much smaller biceps than her because ‘mutual love and support’ are the only things that matter in a happy relationship.
Russian powerlifter Nataliya Kuznetsova, 28, who comes from the city of Chita in the south-eastern Russian region of Chita Oblast, started going to the gym at the tender age of 14.
The bodybuilder, whose father thought exercising would help improve his daughter’s self-esteem, said she had been a ‘timid little mouse’ as a child before going on to become a champion of the region of Zabaykalsky Krai at 15.
Russian world champion bodybuilder Nataliya Kuznetsova (pictured), 28, from Chita, in the Russian region of Chita Oblast, first started going to the gym at the age of 14
The bodybuilder said that it did not matter that her husband Yusif Eyvazov (left), 42, had smaller muscles than her
Mrs Kuznetsova (left and right) went on to become a champion of the region of Zabaykalsky Krai at 15
In an exclusive interview with Golder’s News and Sport, Mrs Kuznetsova said: ‘I was a timid little mouse when I was growing up.’
Mrs Kuznetsova, who met her husband, Yusif Eyvazov, 42, a decade ago, also said that she did not care that her husband’s biceps were smaller than hers and stated that ‘mutual love and support’ were the key ingredients for a happy relationship.
As an awkward teenager, the bodybuilder said she weighed around 40kg (6.3 stone) compared to her current weight of 90kg (14.2 stone).
She said that she ‘never dreamed about a career in sports’, adding that her first coach at school helped her to embark on the path of bodybuilding.
Mrs Kuznetsova said: ‘He influenced my future massively.
The world champion told Golder’s News and Sport that she had been a ‘timid little mouse’ before she entered the sporting world
Mrs Kuznetsova said that after attending the gym for only three months she was asked by her trainer to take take part in a bodybuilding competition
Mrs Kuznetsova met her husband Yusif (right) a decade ago and said that size of his biceps did not matter
‘Just like everyone else, I first went to the gym without a desired goal, but after three months my trainer asked me if I wanted to take part in a bodybuilding competition.
‘By the age of 15, I was the champion of the region of Zabaykalsky Krai.’
After bagging European bench press and deadlift titles and setting the world record for both, the bodybuilder found herself becoming recognised on the street.
In 2016, she even participated in a Manon Lesko production at the Bolshoi Theatre featuring Russian-Austrian opera star Anna Netrebko, 48, and her husband.
She added: ‘I am already used to fame and lots of people recognise me on the street, this happens everywhere I go.’
Kuznetsova was the 2014 World champion for armlifting and the 2014 World champion for bench pressing and set world records on both occasions.
The bodybuilder went on to win European bench press and deadlift titles and is now recognised by people in the street
The bodybuilder said the key to her happy marriage with her husband was ‘mutual respect, love and support’
The Russian world champion set world records at the 2014 World champion for armlifting and the 2014 World champion for bench pressing
The world champion went from weighing around 40kg (6.3 stone) as a teenager to 90kg (14.2 stone)