The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SINCE earning her professional bodybuilding card in 2017, Lakeisha Miller has been battling through a series of injuries, but is now looking forward to her first international appearance later this year.

“I had an injury and I had surgery in 2019, so I had some down time and now I’m finally back,” Miller said. “I am getting ready for my first show in November since turning pro. I’m in between shows. I haven’t decided on which one I will go to yet.”

At the Ben Weider Legacy Cup in in Toronto, Canada in October, 2017, Miller became the ninth Bahamian to achieve her pro card after she won the Masters Women’s Physique. After recuperating from her surgery in 2019, Miller said she attempted to make it back in 2020, but the healing process wasn’t yet completed.

“I started training in 2020 and then the pandemic hit,” she said. “I was in the middle of my training when my mother, Ena Cooper, passed away in June, 2020. So all of that had an effect on me, but I’m back and ready to compete.”

With a few months before she gets on stage, Miller said she’s dedicating her time to ensuring that she’s fully prepared and will be able to bring a total package to whatever competition she decides to enter in.

“I want to qualify for Mr Olympia. That is the goal,” said Miller of the prestigious bodybuilding event.

“I want to be the first Bahamian woman to stand up on that stage to compete.”

In the meantime, Miller is preparing novice protégé Ashley Sturrup for her debut in the women’s bikini division of the Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding Championships in San Salvador, El Salvador, from August 12-16.

Miller, a personal trainer, was on hand to encourage Sturrup as she participated in the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation’s showcase at J-Line Fitness last weekend where the competitors were judged for selection to the team.

Based on her performance, Sturrup was one of seven competitors named to the team.