The Tribune

THEY’VE been married for the past two years and training together, now Jimmy and Serena Salius Decius-Norius are planning to compete in the same venue, albeit in two different events, in one weekend.

While Decius-Norius is hoping to be one of the competitors representing the Bahamas at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in the Dominican Republic, Norius is gearing up to participate in the IFB pro show that will take place a day after the amateur programme.

The two championships over the weekend of December 4-6 are being done for the first time as the organisers intend to take advantage of the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic to put on one grand massive event.

This will be Norius’ first competition since February when he competed in his first classic physique competition in Brazil. Salius Decius-Norius, however, is fresh off her participation in the NPC Ultimate Grand Prix Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships on Saturday night.

“I feel optimistic about it. I feel as if I’m actually getting better with age,” said the 45-year-old Norius. “This pandemic has me staying home more, I’m getting the home cooked meals and I’m resting more, so my body is really recuperating a lot more than it would have with gyms being opened up and I had to go to work.

“I don’t have to worry about all of that, so I could stay home, rest a lot more and pose a lot more. So there’s no reason why I can’t crack the top three in this show. I’m going to be a lot sharper than I was before.”

In 2016, Norius represented the Bahamas at his final CAC Championships. Two years later in 2018, he went on to capture his pro card. “I’m looking forward to it,” said Norius about going back to the CAC Championships, even though not as a competitor.

“Having to deal with all that is going on now with COVID-19 and all of its uncertainties, it’s good to be able to compete again. “I think this is going to be a breath of fresh air for all of the athletes competing, considering all that the world is going through, we can go abroad and compete and earn your medal, trophy, pro card or cash prize.”

Coming off a fourth place finish in his last competition this year where he got fourth place overall in the men’s classic physique pro division at the Angela Borges Fitness Cup Championships in Camboriu, Brazil, the three-time Bahamas and Northern Bahamas (Grand Bahama) bodybuilding and one-time physique champion is looking forward to improving on his previous international performance.

“In my last show, I was struggling to gain weight. The weight I needed to make was 150 and I worked so hard to make the weight that I ended up losing a lot of the muscle mass,” he pointed out.

“So going towards this show, I’m actually monitoring my weight so that I can actually work on my stage presence and my routine to get me up there. I beat some big time guys there, so I know I have the potential to beat the other guys who beat me.”

This time around, the 5-foot, 5-inch Norius said he’s more inspired to compete with his 5-1 Italian-born wife now competing in the bikini competition.

“The Bible says how we can walk together except they agree, so it’s good to know that your significant other is supporting you and you are supporting them,” he stated.

“It’s like a three-legged race where you can move so much further ahead when you are supporting each other. She knows my struggle and I know her struggle, so we complement each other with our diets and our training.”

Whether they are both successful or not, Norius said their journey will be one about enjoying life as partners, having celebrated their second anniversary on Tuesday.

The two met one day when Norius was on the beach exercising. The 36-year-old Decius-Norius came along and sat on the beach. Fascinated by her skin tone, Norius said he approached her and although he admitted he was shy, it didn’t prevent him from starting the conversion.

“I just told her that I love her skin complexion and her beautiful smile,” he said. “She told me she didn’t speak English, so I googled the Italian language and I asked her if I could take her out to have a drink.

“She said she wasn’t sure, but I told her if she changed her mind to call me. She called me about a hour later and I told her to see a couple of my Italian friends and that was it. She had to go back and I told her when she returned to check me out. She came back six months later and we hit it off from there.”

Decius-Norius, a hairstylist by profession, said the good thing about the marriage to Norius is that they can benefit from the same diet as they are always in the physical fitness mode.

“We help each other out with our training too,” she stated. “And it’s easier for me when I cook. I don’t have to do two separate meals. We both enjoy the same type of food with our diet.”

As for the opportunity to represent the Bahamas at the CAC Championships, Decius-Norius said it’s a great responsibility that she doesn’t take lightly. “I am very proud of the opportunity to represent the Bahamas,” she said.

Although she was always in the gym working out, Decius-Norius said she really didn’t have anyone pushing her to compete on stage until she met Norius.

“When I first saw her body with that two piece red bikini, I knew she had the potential to be a competitor,” Norius said. “I guess because I was a bodybuilder and a trainer, I saw the potential in her.”

Norius, however, said he wanted to see if Decius-Norius was interested in competing before he decided to take her training to another level. “In the past, she said she always wanted to compete, but she never had that motivation to do it,” he pointed out. “I didn’t want to pressure her, but I was willing to support her in whatever she wanted to do.”

As a husband and wife tandem in the sport, Decius-Norius said in the past she had former boyfriends who didn’t want to see her going on stage in a two-piece bathing suit. “It was the opposite with Jimmy,” she said. “He wanted to see me competing and he supported me.”