Matheus Pavlak, a 19-year-old Brazilian bodybuilder known for his remarkable transformation from childhood obesity, was found dead at his home after suffering an apparent heart attack on Sunday.
Over the past five years, Pavlak underwent an extraordinary physical transformation, becoming a prominent bodybuilder and an icon in his native Brazil. He took up the demanding sport to overcome his obesity and quickly rose to prominence in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, where he lived.
Last year, Pavlak won the U23 contest to become “Mr. Blumenau” in his hometown of the same name and also achieved top 10 finishes in several other regional competitions, per New York Post report.
Pavlak, who began bodybuilding in 2019, regularly shared his journey with the bodybuilding community and his fans by posting about his routine.
Just last month, he shared a video on his Instagram account showcasing his transformation from being visibly overweight to shedding the extra pounds. In the reel posted on August 15, Pavlak wrote: “No matter the difficulty or the impossibility of your dream, if you truly want it, you will achieve it. I MADE IT!!”
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In a tribute post on Instagram, Lucas Chegatti, Pavlak’s former trainer, shared photos of them together and expressed his grief following the news of Pavlak’s death. He wrote: “Today ends on a sad note… the loss of a great friend, a remarkable young man who left us too soon, a tragedy that took us by surprise. He had a bright future ahead of him, a respected athlete.”
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Chegatti further added: ” I was his first coach and am very proud to have had the opportunity to care for him like a son… I promised him that one day he would beat me, and he did. The first time we competed against each other, he ended up winning. Although he was no longer on my team, I know I helped shape a great athlete.”
Pavlak’s death, which has shocked the bodybuilding community around the world, is the latest in a series of high-profile tragedies.
According to a report by The Mirror, earlier in May, a Majorcan bodybuilder who had survived cancer and life-threatening peritonitis died at the age of 50. Xisco Serra’s untimely death was locally attributed to natural causes following stomach issues. In April, a Brazilian bodybuilder and fitness instructor, aged 29, succumbed to complications related to Covid-19.
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