Erika Andersson is a multi-national bodybuilder born in Africa. She her mom is African and her father Japanese. When she was a year old, she was adopted and moved to Sweden. Her parents also adopted a boy and growing up she learned a lot about sports from him, and as a teenager she played ice hockey, football and was a wrestler. She was selected for the national team for football, but veered to wrestling because if something went wrong and she lost, she only had herself to blame.
Eventually she became so stressed about competing she lost the joy and turned to the gym. She decided she wanted to have the fittest body, and eventually got on stage for the judges to decide. She has been doing well and is looking to continue her career.
Bodybuilding is not super popular and when asked whey whe didn’t go into the more popular figure competition she had this to say:
“The main reason that I didn’t want to compete in figure was that I don’t like all the preparation that has to be done; make up, hair and jewelry aren’t my thing, even if I wish it would be sometimes… I am what many would describe as a tomboy. And to wear ”court shoes” is for me something that would be very hard. Most probably I would only stumble along on stage hoping that I wouldn’t fall and break something.”
Erika competed in the Swedish Nationals in 2007, the Junior’s World Championships and the Swedish Nationals again in 2008. She won each show. We can’t wait to see where her career goes!