Albert, now living in Brisbane, qualified for the amateur portion of the event after scoring two first-place medals and third overall in the ‘figure international’ category, a discipline of bodybuilding that focuses on muscle symmetry, conditioning, and size, at the Queensland state show.
Albert’s goal was to win her pro card, a qualification that would allow her to compete in pro bodybuilding events, a goal she achieved and quickly surpassed moments later.
“I actually got off stage after winning my pro card and was told that I was in the pro show,” she said.
“So I did that straight after and then I actually won the pro show which means I'm now the Oceanic figure international pro champion.”
The result is a phenomenal achievement for a bodybuilder in their first season of competition.
“Winning a pro card in your first season is something that does not happen very often at all,” Albert said.
“I’ve spoken to my coaches or a lot of mentors or friends who have competed once or twice and they’ve said to me don't go into your first season expecting much because they didn't even place in their first bodybuilding comp.
“I’m kind of a humble person, I don’t really like bragging about that kind of stuff but it's a pretty cool achievement which I think hasn't really sunk in yet.
“I just still kind of feel like I’m working towards something else.”
Albert, a physiotherapist, grew up in Echuca Moama, attending Moama primary school and St Joseph’s College Echuca before moving to Albury for university.
She returned to Echuca in 2020 before moving to Brisbane in 2022 where she first developed her interest in bodybuilding.
Albert has had a complex relationship with her body in the past, opening up to the Riv in 2020 about her struggles with an eating disorder.
She sees bodybuilding as a way to embrace her body’s capabilities in a positive way.
“I'm quite broad and I've always been quite muscular and that was something, when I struggled with my eating disorder, I perceived that as being fat and overweight and that had a bit of an impact on my eating disorder,” she said.
“I've done so much work and I just wanted to see what my body could do when I actually appreciate it for how it looked and what it did rather than using bodybuilding as a way to control myself which was how I used exercise and eating previously when I did have an eating disorder.
“I know there were concerns from some of my friends and family that going into bodybuilding might exacerbate and bring up future problems, but it just kind of allowed me to appreciate what my body does for me even more so whether that's in a larger body or whether it's in a smaller, conditioned, lean body.”
Bodybuilders undergo a rigorous schedule of bulking, putting on weight and muscle, and cutting, losing weight and minimising body fat, to get in perfect condition to compete on show day.
However, show condition is unsustainable in the long term and so performers must rehabilitate and recover after a big show, a process Albert is now beginning.
“People see you as being really lean they're like ‘oh my goodness. You look so healthy and fit’ but it's quite an extreme lifestyle,” she said.
“Getting this lean like I think I'm sub 10 per cent body fat at the moment, so the next two to three months, I'm really working closely with my coach to focus on getting my body healthy and back to a normal level of functioning.”
Albert expects her off-season to be as long as two years before she is prepared to go out and compete again.
Having already reached the highest honour within Natural Bodybuilding Australia, when she returns, she indicated that she is targeting the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation, the premier bodybuilding federation in the world.
Unlike Natural Bodybuilding Australia, the IFBB allows competitors to take performance-enhancing drugs to faster develop their bodies, but Albert says she will remain a natural competitor, taking on enhanced competitors if required.
There are discussions that the IFBB will introduce a natural division which may be in place by the time Albert looks to return to competition.
