A 19-year-old bodybuilder, who turned his life around, has been found dead in his home.
Matheus Pavlak, who began working out in 2019 to lose weight, was found by emergency services.
Firefighters and paramedics were called to the home, but discovered Matheus with no vital signs.
The young man took part in bodybuilding competitions in and around Blumenau, southwest of Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he lived.
He died from a cardiorespiratory arrest on Sunday (1 Sept).
His former personal trainer, Lucas Chegatti told local media: “He started training harder around 2019 due to his obesity.
“In 2022, when we met, we adjusted his workouts and began focusing on competitions.”
Lucas coached Matheus from July 2022 to September 2023 after the pair met at a gym.
In November last year, they both entered the same competition, where Matheus won in the Junior Bodybuilder category.
He was laid to rest yesterday (2 Sep), as reported by NeedToKnow.
He is survived by his father, who is a sergeant in the fire brigade and a PE teacher.
Matheus posted a video to social media in August 2022 showing his transformation from overweight schoolboy to muscular teen.
He wrote: “No matter the difficulty or impossibility of your dream, if you really want it, you’ll get there. I did it!”
Chegatti said: “There wasn’t a single person at the gym who didn’t like him.
“He was very kind, attentive, and incredibly focused and determined to win.
“He had a champion’s mindset.”
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