1/3 Wesley receives a prize for bodybuilding from Arnold Schwarzenegger
A lifelong dream came true last weekend for Wesley Vissers from Best. The bodybuilder participated in a well-known bodybuilding competition in America and won in his category. He received the prize from none other than his childhood hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I still can’t believe it.”
The Arnold Classic was held this weekend in the state of Ohio. Wesley competed and won in the Classic Physique category. That alone is something to be proud of. But the fact that the prize was presented by his idol Arnold Schwarzenegger was the icing on the cake for Wesley. “He is the best bodybuilder ever, as a little boy I looked up to him,” he says in the TV program Brabant Today. “The fact that I could now shake his hand and receive the prize from him is truly a dream come true.”
On stage, Schwarzenegger conducted a brief interview with Wesley. “He compared me to his most formidable opponent from the past, Lou Ferrigno, because I am a tall bodybuilder with beautiful classic lines. He doesn’t just do that,” says Wesley proudly.
“That’s the best compliment I can get.”
Schwarzenegger also called him a ‘Golden Era bodybuilder’, or someone from the golden era. “To hear that come out of his mouth… That’s really the best compliment I could get.”
Standing so close to his hero, Wesley still couldn’t quite believe it. “I was standing about a meter away from him and thought: is this really Arnold I’m talking to?” Fortunately, he was able to take a photo with him afterwards, so that Wesley does not have to doubt whether their meeting really happened.
“I did have dessert.”
Wesley didn’t have much time to enjoy it afterwards. The day after his victory he was exercising again. In two weeks he will take part in a competition in England. “After the match it is also important to maintain all the details on my body, that is what competitions are all about.”
Although he was able to relax for a while in the evening. “After a match, it is tradition to choose a nice restaurant and eat something outside my diet. The freedom to eat something different for once is enough for me.” But what do you eat when you can let loose for a while? “I still had bodybuilding food, like steak and asparagus. But I did have dessert. A double brownie with ice cream. That was something I hadn’t tasted for months, so I definitely enjoyed that,” says Wesley cheerfully.