Sabrina Burgess enjoyed an impressive International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness professional debut after securing two top-ten finishes at the Hurricane Pro event in St Petersburg, Florida.

Burgess, who earned her pro card in 2019 at the at the North American Championship in Pittsburgh, was finally able to take to the stage for the first time at professional level after being denied the opportunity as a result of travel complications during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But her appearance was certainly worth the wait as the 53-year-old clinched a fifth-place finish in the Masters Figure Over-50 Division as well as sixth in the Over-40 Division.

“It was an awesome experience to step back on stage at the age of 53,” she said. “My confidence was pretty high as I knew I gave my preparation 110 per cent so I could have a great showing.”

Burgess admitted preparations for her debut proved difficult after further changes to her original plans.

“I had set my mind on competing at the Masters Pro in Pittsburgh in September,” added Burgess who has been competing since 2011 and enjoyed success in amateur shows locally as well as earning top-three finishes in various shows across San Salvador, Puerto Rico, St Martinique, Canada and the United States.

“However, plans had to change once again when the promoter cancelled the Pro Division. It took a couple of days to sort through the IFBB event schedule for another show and at the end of July I decided on The Hurricane Pro in St Petersburg, which meant an additional six weeks of preparation.

“My training regime was pretty intense. I trained daily; weights and cardio in the mornings and an additional two nights of cardio. My diet was also much different from previous preparation as I ate a lot, six meals a day. However, my body responded well so we kept this going right up until the show.”

Despite the arduous journey in finally getting to compete in her first professional show, Burgess has not ruled out getting back on the stage.

“I compete because I enjoy it! I love to workout everyday, it's what keeps me going, my me time,” she said.

“I take pride in my physique and look to make improvements after every show. So competing again maybe in the forecast as I have already dialled in to what I need to improve on.

“I have to give a big thank you to my coaches Carmichael Bryan and Sergio White and also my family for the continuous support.”