Afghan bodybuilder Roya Karimi on going from child bride to champion

The woman standing on stage shines in a crystal-studded bikini.

Her glowing, tanned skin shows off all of her well-defined muscle lines, the result of hours of weight training at the gym.

Roya Karimi’s perfectly applied makeup and blonde hair would not look out of place at the Miss Universe finals.

It’s hard to imagine that just 15 years ago she was a teenage mother in Afghanistan, married as a child bride, before fleeing to her new life.

Now 30 years old, she is one of Europe’s top bodybuilders and will compete in the World Bodybuilding Championships this week. Her rise has been rapid, as she has only been playing the sport professionally for less than two years.

None of this was likely when Roya fled Afghanistan with her mother and young son. At that time, she took refuge in Norway where she made a new life for herself, continuing her education and becoming a nurse, while meeting her new husband, who is also a bodybuilder.

She says that bodybuilding helped her liberate herself from the mental and social restrictions that had been imposed on her for years.

“Every time I go to the gym, I remember that there was a time in Afghanistan when I wasn’t even allowed to exercise freely,” Roya told BBC News Afghanistan.

Roya’s life story has been one of fighting restrictive traditions and rebuilding her identity – and trying to inspire women in her homeland who face widespread restrictions.

Some of these restrictions were in place when Ruya was living in Afghanistan, as a result of social norms. But it has gotten worse since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power. Now, women in Afghanistan are barred from attending school after the age of 12, from holding most jobs, unable to travel long distances without a male chaperone, and required not to raise their voices in public.

“I was lucky to be able to get out of this situation,” says Roya, “but many women still do not enjoy their most basic human rights, such as education. It is truly sad and heartbreaking.”

But years before the Taliban returned to power, Ruya decided she “didn’t want that life.”

Her decision to flee Afghanistan in 2011, leaving her then-husband, carried many risks for women in traditional Afghan society. It’s not a time you like to remember, and you don’t want to talk about it.

In Norway, Roya encountered a completely different environment. She had to adapt to a new, more liberal culture, find work to support herself and her family, and learn the Norwegian language.

It was difficult to juggle all the requirements in the early days, but her efforts paid off in the end.

Ruya studied nursing and worked in a hospital in the capital, Oslo.

Roya’s entry into the world of bodybuilding marked the next turning point in her life. Attending gyms wasn’t just about physical exercise; It was also a way to rebuild her self-confidence and redefine her personal identity.

There she also met her second husband, fellow Afghan Kamal Jalaluddin.

He has a long history in bodybuilding and is one of Roya’s main supporters.

She explained: “Before I met Kamal, I was playing sports, but not on a professional level.”

“His support gave me the courage to choose a competitive path and break taboos. I believe that if a man stands with a woman, amazing things can happen.”

Eighteen months ago, Roya decided to leave the nursing profession and enter the world of bodybuilding professionally.

It was a risky decision, although the main challenge for her was not changing her job. Instead, she said it was more about adjusting to freedoms after the restrictions she faced in Afghanistan.

“Our biggest challenge was breaking through the boundaries and frameworks that others set for us – the unwritten rules that were imposed on us in the name of tradition, culture, religion or anything else,” she said. “But when you decide to innovate, you have to free yourself from those frameworks.”

It also didn’t come without its problems.

The bikini, flowing hair and heavy makeup she wears on stage are a million miles away from the social norms — and now official restrictions — that dictate how women should dress and present themselves in her homeland.

Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that her social media accounts have been subjected to a barrage of criticism, often including threats of violence and even death.

She declines comments.

“People only see my appearance and the bikini I wear. But behind this appearance, there are years of suffering, effort and perseverance. These successes did not come easily.”

But social media is not negative at all for Roya: it allows her to speak to women in Afghanistan, talking to them about the importance of physical health, self-confidence and rebuilding one’s identity.

Roya is now preparing to compete in the World Bodybuilding Championships – which begin on Thursday in Barcelona – where she hopes to build on the successes she achieved earlier this year.

She won gold in the wellness category at the Stoperiet Open Bodybuilding Competition in April – a category that places particular emphasis on natural fitness, healthy looks and unobtrusive beauty, rather than large muscle mass.

Her victory was quickly followed by another at the prestigious 2025 Norwegian Classic, which attracts athletes from all over Scandinavia.

From there, she moved on to the European Championships, which secured her a place in the World Championships.

“I feel a deep sense of happiness, pride and honor within me,” she said as she prepared to compete in the Spanish city. “It was a very difficult journey all year, but step by step, I managed to achieve gold medals along the way.”

From the sidelines, her husband and son are always cheering her on.

“Seeing a vision on stage was the fulfillment of a dream we had built together,” Kamal says excitedly.

But for Roya, this competition in particular is not just for her and her family.

“I feel mentally strong and fully prepared to give it my all, hoping to make history by recording this record in the name of Afghan girls and women for the first time.”