Bodybuilder Daniel Haughton carries Jamaica’s flag on world stage

Though he placed fourth in last month's Arnold Classic Europe IFBB Elite Pro World Championships in Spain, national bodybuilder Daniel Haughton is proud to have been the only Jamaican representing on the world stage.

"I am super proud. I think I have done my country and myself a great service. I represented the country and myself well. I wasn't pleased with the look I had in the first show I did for this year, and I went back to the drawing board. Everybody was amazed by how I looked on stage at the Arnold Classic. I made no mistakes. Even though I placed fourth, it was still a win because of the package that I brought," said Haughton, who has placed fourth three consecutive years.

The championships, held from October 11-13 in Madrid, saw Haughton hoping for first place. While he didn't secure the top spot, he's still beaming with pride at his consistent top-five finishes.

"I wanted to notch up a bit more to the first place because after the pre-judging, which is the first phase of the competition, I was in second. I didn't expect to go back to fourth, but the judging panel had changed, so there were different judges, but overall it was a good show. There were over 25 bodybuilders in my category. I was not disappointed though because I am the only person who has made it into the top five for three years straight," Haughton told THE STAR.

Meanwhile, Haughton's journey to Madrid was not smooth sailing. With the Jamaica Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Association lacking resources to sponsor the athlete, Haughton was forced to utilise the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to raise monies for the championship.

"The Government did not provide any funding for me to go to the World Championships, so I did that on my own, and I got a tremendous amount of support from people in my circle, and that is how I was able to fund going to the World Championship. There is absolutely no support for bodybuilding in Jamaica and this is one of the reasons why I strive to do so well and push forward to go to these shows, so the sport can grow and more persons will want to be bodybuilders," he explained.

Despite the financial challenges, Haughton remains committed to representing Jamaica internationally. His next big event will be the Roger Boyce King Classic in Barbados next May. In preparation, he plans to use the off-season to build on his physique.

"I won that show two consecutive years, in 2022 and 2023. I'm going back for that title next May. I have got my rest now, so I'm going back on a diet for the bulking season for Christmas. Based on the judges' feedback from the last competition, they said that I could add a few more pounds to my body because the guys were thick - even though that's not my kind of game plan. I normally carry a streamlined look, but we're going to add a few more pounds for next year," he said.

In addition to his rigorous training, Haughton is hopeful about landing corporate sponsorships to support his future competitions.