Safalu Tamale wins gold in debut at INBA-PNBA World Championships

Para bodybuilder Safalu Tamale won a gold medal in his debut at the INBA-PNBA World Championships in Natural Bodybuilding, held in Spain on Sunday. 

Competing in the Men's Physically Challenged Open category, Tamale triumphed over the Czech Republic’s Petr Lindák, Slovakia’s Andrej Farkaš, and the United Kingdom’s Ed Akay to secure his first international accolade.

As a result of this victory, Tamale qualified for the Mr. Natural Universe 2025 in Argentina and the Mr. Natural Olympia 2025 in Las Vegas, USA. 

Simon Mbaziira, the brother of Mr. Olympia Ivan Byekwaso, also performed well, winning a silver medal in the Men's Bodybuilding Junior Masters (35-39 years) category during his first international competition. He was edged out for the gold by the UK’s Tom Duffell. 

Ivan Byekwaso, who traveled with the duo, praised Tamale’s outstanding performance, noting that it left many wondering about his origins.

"I was happy to receive them and prepare them before they hit the stage, and they delivered," Byekwaso said.

He also commented on Mbaziira’s impressive performance, stating, "It was his first outing, but he did very well. Many were surprised by the definitions he displayed. He has a promising future." Mbaziira mentioned that they faced numerous challenges to reach Spain after failing to secure government sponsorship. 

The championship featured 262 competitors in 51 different categories, including bodybuilding, Classic Physique, sports modeling, and Women’s Bikini Diva, among others.