Afghan bodybuilder Roya Karimi on going from child bride to champion

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

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

Roya Karimi’s perfectly-applied make-up and hair highlighted blonde wouldn’t look out of place in the finals of Miss Universe.

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

Now aged 30, she is one of Europe’s top bodybuilders, and will be competing in the World Bodybuilding Championships this week. Her rise has been meteoric – she only took up the sport professionally less than two years ago.

None of this looked likely when Roya fled Afghanistan with her mother and young son. Back then, she sought refuge in Norway where she made a new life for herself, continuing her education and becoming a nurse, while meeting her new husband, who also bodybuilds.

Bodybuilding helped her break free from the mental and social limitations that had been imposed on her for years, she says.

“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 Afghan.

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

Some of those restrictions existed when Roya lived in Afghanistan – a result of social norms. But they have got worse since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power. Now, women in Afghanistan are banned from attending school beyond the age of 12, getting 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 that situation, but many women still don’t have their most basic human rights, such as education. It’s really sad and heartbreaking,” says Roya.

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

Her decision to flee Afghanistan in 2011, leaving her then husband behind, carried many risks for a woman in traditional Afghan society. It is not a time she likes to remember – and does not want to talk about it.

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

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

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

Roya’s introduction to bodybuilding was 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.

It was also where she met her second husband, fellow Afghan Kamal Jalaluddin.

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

“Before I met Kamal, I was doing sports, but not at a professional level,” she explained.

“His support gave me the courage to choose a competitive and taboo-breaking path. I believe that if a man stands by a woman, amazing things can happen.”

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

It was a risky decision, although the main challenge for her was not changing jobs. Instead, she said it was more about adapting to freedoms after the restraints she had experienced in Afghanistan.

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

It has also not come without its problems.

The bikinis, flowing hair and heavy make-up she wears on stage are a million miles away from the social norms – and now official restrictions – which dictate how women dress and present themselves in her home country.

It is perhaps not surprising then that her social media accounts have been bombarded with criticism, often including threats of violence and even death.

She dismisses the comments.

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

But social media is far from a negative for Roya: it allows her to speak to women back in Afghanistan, talking to them about the importance of physical health, self-confidence and rebuilding one’s identity.

Now Roya is preparing to compete in the world bodybuilding championships – which start on Thursday in Barcelona – where she is hoping to build on successes she had earlier this year.

She won gold in the Wellness category at the Stoperiet Open bodybuilding competition in April – a category which places special emphasis on natural fitness, healthy appearance and unobtrusive beauty, rather than large muscle mass.

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

From there, it was onto the European championships – which clinched her a spot in the world championships.

“I feel a deep sense of happiness, pride and honour within me,” she said as she prepared to compete in the Spanish city. “It’s been an incredibly tough journey throughout the 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 Roya on stage was the fulfilment of a dream we built together,” enthuses Kamal.

But for Roya, this contest in particular is for more than just her and her family.

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