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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Madeleine Aggeler

‘My body never betrayed me’: kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart on her journey to bodybuilding

a woman sits on a bench while holding a dumbbell
Elizabeth Smart poses for a portrait on Friday, May 15, 2026 in Midway, UT. Photograph: Kim Raff

In April, Elizabeth Smart, 38, won first place in her category in the Wasatch Warrior bodybuilding competition in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was Smart’s fourth bodybuilding competition – her first had been at the same event a year earlier. But despite being a public figure, no one outside her friends and family knew she had been doing this. She competed under her married name, Elizabeth Gilmour, and hadn’t posted any content about her bodybuilding.

But after her win, a friend asked if she could post about Smart’s victory on Instagram.

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