Up Close … with bodybuilder Ziad Al Adou Mekdachi-From war-ravaged Lebanon to become Seychelles champ |11 January 2011

As he walked into the Seychelles Nation office and came looking for yours in writing, he looked every bit the well-shaped bodybuilder that everyone knows.

The muscleman hadn’t come for us to admire his great proportions and aesthetic physique.

He wanted to buy some photos of himself in action during the December 17 first Animal Kingdom Gym bodybuilding championship put up by trainer of champions Regis Delorié when the Continental Bodybuilding Championship slated for Egypt was postponed.

It was a good opportunity to get to know Al Adou Mekdachi who, as a neophyte of this competitive muscled world, took the local bodybuilding stage by storm in 2009, winning three titles – Mr Regatta, the Sabba open contest and Mr Seychelles.
 
In December 2009, he was also ranked fifth in the heavyweight (under-100kg) category of the inaugural world amateur men's bodybuilding championships organised by the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation (WBPSF) at the Al Ahli Club's indoor hall in Dubai.

Difficult childhood in wartorn Lebanon

What many people don’t know is that Al Adou Mekdachi grew up around war in Lebanon, where he was born to a Seychellois mother and a Lebanese father.

How did the 31-year-old make it through these difficult times in wartorn Lebanon?

“I didn’t have a normal childhood in Beirut (Lebanon’s capital city),” said Al Adou Mekdachi of his upbringing.

“I experienced war during 11 years of my childhood. But I thank my mother and father for protecting me and giving me the love every child needs. This really helped as I grew up.”

Al Adou Mekdachi recounts that he could hear air raid sirens and see people get killed, although he didn’t lose anyone close to him.

“I feel really fortunate because there were a lot of people hurt, and a lot of people lost their homes and family members. I also feel fortunate that I don't have big traumatic experiences as many other people did,” he said.

He added that after the 15-year civil war ended in 1990, Lebanon started rebuilding but then came the 2006 war with Israel – also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War.

“This war was very ferocious and we had to flee,” he noted.

“Because members of my family hold Seychelles passports, we chose to come here with the help of the Red Cross. We contacted other Seychellois in Lebanon to ask whether they wanted to come with us, but they decided to stay put. Many other people left by boat or by plane via other countries as the airport was bombarded.”

Was it easy to adapt to a new lifestyle when he arrived here in 2006?

“You learn to be strong when you live in a country like Lebanon, and everywhere you go you will survive. Life is much easier here and, most importantly, you can sleep well here. You don’t expect a plane to come and start bombarding the whole place.

“It’s true that there aren’t a lot of extra-curricular activities here, but Seychelles is a very stable country,” he added.

From kickboxing to bodybuilding

A kickboxer in his earlier years, Al Adou Mekdachi was introduced to bodybuilding by his younger brother Zahi, 27, in 2003.

“He introduced me to this sport and since that day I’ve loved it. It was a new challenge and I didn’t expect to reach this level in such a short time. I’m also thankful to have met Regis (Delorié). He has been the man behind the Ziad that people know,” he noted.

 Married to Suzy and father of 19-month-old Omar, Al Adou Mekdachi believes talent isn’t enough in life.
“A man has to be willing to make changes in his life. He needs a mind like a sponge, an attitude like a shield, and a work ethic that doesn’t stop,” he said.

This is why Al Adou Mekdachi pushes himself in training. He wants to be the best in his sport to conquer the world and make Seychelles proud and known on the world stage.

“I want to be the athlete who brings the turning point in Seychelles’ sports. I want to win a title for Seychelles on the world stage. I’m convinced I can do it. This will surely help guide others to train hard and follow in my footsteps.

“People admire us bodybuilders on stage, but there’s a lot of hard work that goes with what they see. It cost me R50,000 to prepare for the 2009 Mr Seychelles, and the top prize only covered a fifth of my spending. I also used this money to pay for my airfares to represent Seychelles at the WBPSF championship in Dubai.

“I urge sponsors to help us bodybuilders and other sportsmen and women in anyway they can because we cannot do everything on our own. I practise bodybuilding because I love it and it gives me a lot of self-satisfaction, even though I have to neglect my family at times,” he said.

“This is just the beginning of my career.”

By Gerard Govinden