Barnaul Mom Wins Bodybuilding Gold in Debut
The past competitions were the first in Vera’s life
Vera Kozlova, a 32-year-old resident of Barnaul, has been on maternity leave with her two daughters for four years. Yet that has not stopped her from shining on stage. In July 2026 she won several medals at the Siberian Fitness Cup and became the winner of the sports project Siberian Transformation.
The heroine has been involved in sports for seven years
How a modest mother decided to step on stage and why she now does not want to stop — read the interview with NGS22.RU.
According to Vera, the desire to take part in the project was spontaneous
“We Jumped on the Last Train”
It took the heroine several months to prepare for the final
Fitness entered Vera’s life back in 2019. Since then, she has regularly attended the gym, taking breaks only for pregnancy and childbirth.
The heroine admitted that she was very nervous and did not feel like a favorite
“Two years ago I gave birth to my second daughter and six months later I returned to the gym, to my trainer. We have been working with him for a year and a half now,” she said.
Vera performed on stage twice: in Belovo and Barnaul
According to the heroine, the goal was simply to get back in shape after childbirth, so she set no grand ambitions for herself.
The heroine admitted that the victory was a shock to her
“Returning to the gym after my daughter’s birth was a given. I knew that as soon as the infant period passed, I would definitely start training again. I just wanted to tone up, because I am used to looking athletic enough. Besides, when you do not train, age still takes its toll, and after thirty you understand that you cannot live long on what you earned earlier — you need to invest in yourself. Muscles require work, and without that there is simply no way,” the city resident noted.
Now the heroine is thinking about taking part in other bodybuilding competitions
The idea to take part in the sports project was born spontaneously — in the spring of 2026. Vera and her trainer Ilya decided to try when the participants were already being recruited.
“We literally jumped on the last train. All the participants had already gathered, and we were only just thinking about it. Ilya asked: ‘Well, shall we go?’ I said: ‘Why not?’” the athlete recalls.
According to Vera, at that time her shape allowed her to compete right away in the sports category.
“The trainer said: ‘Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you want, let’s go, you will unwind, take your mind off things.’ And sport during maternity leave was my salvation. To distract myself, shift the vector, pay more attention to myself. So I plunged headfirst into this whirlpool without hesitation,” she added.
Preparation for the tournament lasted several months. The training remained the same — three times a week — but the diet had to change: a strict regimen, clean proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and no indulgences.
“Of course, I had to eat properly before too, but I gave myself indulgences. Here I could not slack off. The hardest part was not to slip up. Especially when there are children at home and so much tasty food around,” the debutante admitted.
However, staying in shape, as Vera admits, was helped by her responsibility to her trainer.
“Ilya is a professional with a stern look. He saw everything, even if I tried to hide it. I could not let him down,” the heroine noted.
“I Have Been Modest All My Life”
Before these competitions, Vera had never taken part in any similar tournaments, so what was happening became considerable stress for her.
“I have been modest all my life. I never thought I would go on stage and compete with someone. But this year I made up my mind,” the Barnaul resident shared.
In addition to training, the project organized posing lessons for the participants. The girls were taught how to walk on stage, hold their posture, and smile despite fatigue.
“It seems like you just walk out, hold four poses — and that’s it. In reality it is harder than a strength workout. We girls sweated more than in the gym. Posing was much harder than the training itself,” the heroine admitted.
But Vera’s main fear was different — to walk on stage in high heels, among a crowd of people, and not disgrace herself.
“You need to keep a straight face, pretend that everything is easy for you and you are enjoying it — that is what is really hard. I was afraid my arms and legs would give out from nerves. I thought: ‘Lord, just don’t let me fall,’” she recalls.
Two Finals and a “Medal Rain”
Vera was lucky enough to perform on stage twice. The first time was on 18 July at the Siberian Cup in Belovo, Kemerovo Oblast.
“The tournament was held at a recreation center. The stage was open, right on the shore of a lake. At the time of my performance my weight was 49.5 kg (109 lb) with a height of 167 cm (5 ft 6 in). When we just started training, I weighed 51.5 kg, a small drop, but due to body recomposition the shape changed visually very well: we removed excess fat, added muscle,” the athlete said.
And it bore fruit. Vera competed in several categories: aesthetic fitness debut, absolute category and fitness bikini, and in each she took a prize place — first, second or third.
“For me it was a shock. I did not think I would earn an award in every category I entered. It always seemed to me that I was not doing enough, that we were not ready. When we arrived at the final, I looked — all the girls were simply gorgeous, so beautiful, athletic; I did not feel like a favorite against them,” the heroine shared.
The competitions themselves, according to Vera, dragged on for almost the whole day. She had to wait a long time for her turn on stage.
“You are all hungry, you arrive at the venue nervous, they do your makeup, and you just wait with the other athletes for your moment on stage. At that moment you also look at your competitors walking around, see their shape, compare yourself with them and start to worry a lot,” the Barnaul resident admitted.
The heroine was also afraid of going on stage, but she did not betray her nerves before the judges.
“I was very afraid of going on stage, I thought my arms and legs would give out from nerves. I kept repeating: ‘Lord, just don’t let me fall on these heels.’ But I showed myself quite freely,” the debutante noted.
And in fact, as Vera admits, on stage she managed to enjoy herself and savor the tournament.
“They told me: ‘Just go on stage and just enjoy it, do not compare yourself with anyone. Go out and show what you are capable of, what work you have done and how great you are.’ And I managed to get pleasure from all this scale, from the fact that I was able to do all this at all, to step on such a stage alongside professional athletes,” the heroine said.
The second final took place on 25 July in Barnaul, as part of the sports project. Vera had fewer competitors, but the atmosphere was warm and familiar in its own way. And, of course, there was another victory.
“When the medals started pouring in, I thought: ‘Well, wow! This is really such a thrill! Being a champion is a thrill.’ In Belovo the scale was bigger, more participants, more competitors. In Barnaul everyone was our own, from the same club, in a brotherly, familiar way,” she recalls.
“I Still Can’t Believe This Is Happening to Me”
Vera went to her first away event with her sister, who also does fitness and has already competed.
“She was like a mentor to me. I looked for her with my eyes in the hall, and she shouted: ‘Smile! Everything is fine!’ That gave me incredible strength,” the athlete noted.
In Barnaul, friends and family came to support Vera.
“When you feel that you are not alone, that people worry and cheer for you, it inspires you. Now my motto is: support each other,” she emphasized.
After the first final, according to the heroine, she could not fall asleep until late at night. Adrenaline, emotions, happiness — everything mixed together.
“We arrived in Barnaul already at night, there was a wagonload of energy. I did not want to sleep at all. The next day fatigue hit me, and I simply switched off,” the debutante recalls.
The second final was not as long, but the emotions were no less.
“I walk past the medals at home and again remember how it was. The euphoria does not pass. I still cannot believe this is happening to me,” Vera admitted.
After such an impressive debut, as the heroine admits, she began to think about new competitions.
“During the preparation stage I often thought: ‘I will perform and never again.’ But posing trainer Malvina Yermolayeva warned: ‘Do not swear off it. You will want more.’ And she turned out to be right. It really is addictive. Perhaps Ilya and I will prepare for another Cup or competitions. In the spring, maybe we will shine again,” she added.
