The 2012 World Bodybuilding & Physique Federation champion Wilaiporn Wannaklang was 30 years old when she first learnt what a gym was. A mother of two, Wilaiporn said at the time dumbbells and barbells was just “something metal” to her. A decade later and she is among the world’s top bodybuilders in the lightweight category.
“I immediately loved the pain I felt after my first weightlifting session. I couldn’t explain how, but that sting and tautness in my muscles, that felt as if they were about to explode, made me feel so good.”
From an 18-year-old who ran away from home with her boyfriend, tainting the relationship with her family, to a world champion, Wilaiporn is baring herself open in a recently-released memoir Champ Lok Bai Lieng Diew (Single Mum Champion).
A recent interview with Muse provides a glimpse into her struggle for strength and success.
“I was never good at school. Most of time I was hanging out with friends, playing around and getting into countless fights,” smiled Wilaiporn. “I was so small as a kid, and I tried to do everything to get rid of that sense of inferiority.”
Now based in Phuket as a physical trainer and an organiser of well-known bodybuilding competition Phuket Classic, Wilaiporn grew up in Lop Buri province. Until she discovered bodybuilding, Wilaiporn said she never had goals in her life.
Wilaiporn earned the world title in 2012 in Bangkok.
“My father is a technician in the military so he wanted me to study that,” said Wilaiporn. “I enrolled in Lopburi Technical College and studied electronics but I was never interested and never paid attention to any of it.
I didn’t finish school because I ran away with my boyfriend. Although we didn’t do anything, I was afraid to come back because those days it was such a serious issue and I didn’t know what to do.”
Although after a while she returned home and managed to get a High Vocational Certificate and finish a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, the relationship with her family, especially her father, was never the same.
After working in the district administration for a while, she started to work in a noodle restaurant, which is her family business.
The beginning of her path to success was when her husband died in an accident, and Wilaiporn was forced to think about her and her children’s future.
Since giving birth to her kids, Wilaiporn suffered from hyperthyroidism. And to reduce the effects of it, she attended an aerobics class with a friend. That was her first introduction to the gym and physical training.
“The guys in the gym doubted if I was going to be serious about it. But after a while I found myself getting really upset on days when I couldn’t spare time from helping out at the restaurant. Initially, I was quite shy and I would go to the gym early in the morning because there weren’t a lot of people.”
After a few months, her body started to develop and that was when she was asked to join a bodybuilding competition in the National Games. She decided to give it a shot because she wanted to travel and meet new people, and the experience also made her realise what she wanted to do with her life.
“Before that I didn’t even know what bodybuilding was,” said Wilaiporn. “I found out there about the posing and nutrition plans. But what impressed me most about the sport was not the sport itself but the people. Everybody was so willing to help and share.”
Because bodybuilding was then relatively unknown, especially among women, and there were only a few contenders, she took third place in the National Games in Nakhon Si Thammarat in 2007. The win made her foresee a career as a physical trainer.
“I didn’t see myself becoming a champion at all,” said Wilaiporn. “I just wanted to be able to provide for my children. I didn’t have a coach, I learned it all by myself.”
Despite the success, Wilaiporn said her family was never supportive. Her father said her diet requirements were a waste and she should save the money for her children instead.
“By that time, people were starting to look up to me but it was sad that it was the other way round with my family. There were a lot of arguments, my children were very upset and all I could do was simply ask them to trust me.”
And trust and faith in her passion is what got Wilaiporn where she is today. Aside from becoming world champion in 2012, she won the open competition for women bodybuilders in the National Games four times, and won the Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships in the 50kg category, along with many other competitions like Siam Classic, Latchford Classic and Mr Thailand.
“I have proved myself and through my book I want people to know what bodybuilding is. Nobody thought it was possible for me to do this after having two children but I did. I wasn’t born special and have struggled with everything. This is proof that you can do it, too.”
