Winning on her professional debut has firmly put Jamaican body fitness queen Kristen McGregor on the pathway to achieving her goal of winning the coveted Ms Olympia title.

Tall and

statuesque, Kristen walked into the IFBB Diamond Cup in St Maarten on July 28

and won her last tournament as an amateur. Then, with her newly minted Pro Card

in hand, she took on a professional field from across the world and won that

too.

It was a

major step on her journey to the ultimate career goal, the Ms Olympia title.

“It is a

major accomplishment as I am now eligible to earn from the sport now, as the trips

aren’t cheap and neither is the preparation,” she said. “It was overwhelming as

I wasn’t expecting it. I just went in with an open mind.

Kristen grew

up in Kingston, Jamaica, with three siblings and was always into some form of

sport – in part due to the influence of her dad, tennis coach Lockett McGregor.

She also wanted to become a physiotherapist, a nutritionist and a track star.

“I was always into fitness, doing tracks from a young age until I stopped in university and started playing rugby until I was recruited by Audrey Allwood, President of the Jamaica Bodybuilding Association and the owner of FitFarm Fitness Club where I train,” said Kristen, who did her degree in sport management.

After

joining FitFarm, Kristen progressed quickly. In 2017, her first year in

bodybuilding and fitness, she finished third in Body Fitness at the Jamaican

championships.

She won the

national title in 2018, the same year she won the CAC title.

As she

prepared for her last amateur tournament and her first as a pro, Kristen

decided to raise the ante and changed coaches – moving Barry Wilson to Henry

Graham.

After

preparing for a year for St Maarten, those in her camp were confident, Kristen was

not sure what to expect.

“I don’t

like disappointments, and I don’t like to boost myself,” she said, explaining

that she shut out all the praise and expectations of her colleagues when she

departed for St Maarten in July.

However, winning

was not without challenges, as both of her bikinis got damaged.

“So, I

almost had a panic attack … It wouldn’t affect the judging, but it would affect

the judging if I had no bikini,” she said.

Kristen’s next stop along the road to her dreams is the IFBB Elite Pro World Professional Championships in Tarragona, Spain, in November. There, she hopes to continue building on her incredible winning record even though she will be up against the best in the world.

— Story by Chase