‘I LOST EVERYTHING’

Bodybuilder Dies After Winning Amateur Mr. Olympia

Erik Markov, from Spain, just earned his pro card before his tragic death.

Spanish bodybuilder Erik Markov has died just months after going pro, following a win at an amateur Mr. Olympia competition. His cause of death has yet to be confirmed. After securing a victory in Spain’s Mr. Olympia Amateur competition, Markov earned his tour card in May, which allows bodybuilders to compete in the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB). “I turned my dream into reality–I got my tour card,” he wrote on Instagram, along with a photo of him kissing his partner, Lucia Barahona, a personal trainer. He wrote more about the importance of Barahona in his journey, calling her “the greatest victory of all” and that she “fought with [him] without ever stepping on stage.” Following his death, she posted on social media over the weekend, writing, “I don’t feel able to do it right now, and I still haven’t processed this situation that both his family and I are going through.” She added she needed time to “heal.” On Thursday, she reposted a TikTok on her Instagram story that translated as, “This year I lost my spark, my happiness, my smile, I lost everything.” Others shared heartfelt messages in the comments of Markov’s last Instagram post. A fellow pro bodybuilder, Fede Guevara, shared a photo on his own Instagram account with Markov, writing in the caption, “Rest in peace, friend. How unfair is life, it always takes the best.” A number of bodybuilders have died in recent months, including another Spanish bodybuilder, Lorena Blanco, at 37, and former IFBB Pro Craig Licker at 57.