Leanne Bartolo wins European bikini fitness championship

Maltese teacher and fitness instructor Leanne Bartolo has walked away with the World Fitness Federation European Bikini championship after beating off stiff competition from more than 100 models in Manchester, England on Sunday night.

The event was held at the Middleton arena in Manchester, which attracted athletes from all over Europe vying for a chance to win the title of professional bikini champion.

Last year, Ms Bartolo won the European Bikini contest title in Germany, after seeing off more than 40 competitors.

"It was very hard trying to keep up with two full-time jobs and continue doing this hobby. It meant lack of sleep and no social life. But this effort has been more rewarding than ever," an ecstatic Ms Bartolo, 31, told Times of Malta.

The Maltese instructor managed to win the honour after obtaining her professional status in Germany last year.

She will next take part in the Bikini Fitness Universe competition in South Korea followed by the world competition in Mexico.

Ms Bartolo's success in the fitness industry comes by accident. Originally a gymnast, Ms Bartolo is not into bodybuilding either, but a persistent back injury pushed her to take up athletics, especially running, and eventually she invested in a fitness studio, which chiselled out her ultra-fit body.

Link to story: https://bikininewsdaily.com/bnd/LeanneBartolowinsEuropea-463