Meet ‘Team Wingate’

Shellharbour’s latest sporting star, bodybuilder Sharon Wingate, has paid tribute to her family for helping her win her recently world title.

Wingate won the Ms Fit Body short division at the WNBF/INBF World Championships in New York in November, a culmination of three years of preparation and hard work, after deciding she needed to put more balance into her life.

“When I got to 40, I felt I needed to get some balance and do something for me, so I decided to get fit and one thing led to another and now I am world champion,” Wingate said.

“My husband David was a second-dan black belt in martial arts and used to train three nights a week and with a young son, I just didn’t want to be one of those people who sat back and did nothing.

“This title has really been a team effort with David and my nine-year-old son Aiden going out of their way to make sure we stuck to a routine that has let us be organised enough to allow me to do my training.”

Wingate joined Fitness Express in Shellharbour, and although not overweight, loved the training and learning more about nutrition and her body.

“I was asked to compete at the South Coast championships on Mother’s Day in 2007 and won that title and the rest has snowballed from there,” she said.

“I approached it as a one-off challenge, mainly to see if I could do it, but was absolutely terrified about getting up on stage in a bikini and high heels and performing poses, but it was all part of the overall challenge I suppose,” she said.

A third placing at the NSW titles qualified her for the Asia Pacific competition where she won the Masters division.

In two Asia Pacific outings since, she has finished second twice (by just half a point and one point) with her performance in 2009, where she also took out second in the Open division, prompting WNBF president Danny Chau to suggest she enter the world titles.

“The world titles were certainly a great experience, and with ten countries competing and everyone in the one division, (split into two divisions, tall and short), it was always going to be tough, but I really loved every minute of it,” Wingate said.

“With ‘Team Wingate”, including David and Aiden in the crowd, Wingate won the short division to be crowned World Champion but was edged out by the winner of the tall division in the overall competition, but ws still thrilled with her title.

Wingate’s win has earned her a professional card for 2010 and judging by her enthusiasm, we haven’t heard the last of Sharon Wingate.