Strength Meets Academic Excellence: Top Sports Award for UKZN Bodybuilder

Bodybuilding champion Mr Michael East (21) received a University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Prestige Sports Scholarship for his outstanding achievements in the sport at international, national and provincial levels.

A third-year Business Science in Finance student, East made his bodybuilding contest debut – aged just 19 – at the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Sunfest Multisport and Art Festival and won the U23 open division, placing second in the senior open section in 2024.

East’s highlights also include winning both the IFBB KZN Championships U23 open division and senior open division, then going on to win the IFBB South African Championships U20 open division and being placed second in the senior under 95kg division in 2025. He was then selected as part of the Bodybuilding South Africa (BBSA) Protea team to compete at the IFBB World Championships in Saudi Arabia in November 2025 where he finished 11th in the U23 open division and 17th in the senior under 95kg division which earned East his official Protea colours.

East is honoured and grateful for the support and belief the University has shown in him as he continues to pursue his bodybuilding ambitions.

“I am currently training to compete at the IFBB President Santonja African Cup in Durban this November. Being awarded this scholarship is an incredible honour. It is a prestigious token representing UKZN’s belief in me and an incredible support system to help fund my bodybuilding preparations allowing me to optimise them to reach new levels that I could only dream of achieving,” he said.

The business-minded student earned the class nickname ‘Mr Muscle’ during his first first-year after being part of a group project where he presented a profitable protein-energy drink hybrid business idea.

“After the presentation, my group of 25 students selected my business proposal to work on for the rest of the semester during which we had to go in depth into the eight business functions, identifying how we could actually bring the idea to life and yes, we found a way to keep the name around the patenting rights of the cleaning detergent,” he said. “After our final presentation my group was selected as one of four across the Westville and Pietermaritzburg campuses to present again in front of a panel of real entrepreneurs. This experience showed me how you can truly turn anything, even a mere nickname, into something special if you show initiative and put your all into it,” said East.

Balancing books, studying and competing provided a winning formula for East who was attracted to a Bachelor of Business Science in Finance degree after excelling in maths and accounting throughout high school.

“This degree will provide me with a stable future and an interesting job where I get to use my problem-solving skills to continuously identify changes in the economy and find ways to mitigate risks and maximise profits which will provide a very stimulating future to enjoy,” he said.

While his academic ambitions remain firmly in focus, balancing the demanding requirements of his studies with the discipline and commitment required to compete at a high level has presented its own challenges.

“The challenge with doing both is the fact that the degree is content heavy and practical with calculations, so time management has been a crucial skill to master in order to keep performing at my highest level. I plan to do my honours degree next year,” East added.

Words: Thandiwe Jumo

Photograph: Sethu Dlamini and Supplied