The world of bodybuilding seems difficult to understand from an outside perspective. Stereotypes from the 80s and 90s, very present today, often question the need to see bodies toned to the point of exhaustion, possibly doped with steroids. However, it's not all big unrecognizable mountains. You can also find figures who encourage and inspire their followers to improve, physically and psychologically.
Unfortunately, one of those lights went out this week. According to international media reports, the New Zealand influencer and bodybuilder Raechelle Chase has died at the age of 40. The causes of her death are, at the moment, unknown, given the recent nature of the discovery. The local police in Auckland, where she lived with her five children, have launched an investigation to clarify the causes of her sudden disappearance.
Born in 1979, Chase dedicated much of her life to bodybuilding, becoming the first New Zealander to participate in the Olympia tournament in Las Vegas in 2011. In the last few years of her career she has worked as a fitness model and took classes. online for those who wanted to take care of their body. She had more than a million followers on Facebook, where she posted inspiring messages about staying fit as a single mother.
Indeed, one of the first people to testify about this was Raechelle's eldest daughter, Anna. “She was supportive, kind-hearted and she always had the best advice for us. She was a tremendously ambitious woman and has inspired millions of people around the world. “She misses her immensely and that love will never fade,” she told the Kiwi Stuff portal. During the last few hours, her social networks have been filled with farewell messages.
“I'm not going to lie to you, very few things in my life impacted me as much as your death... You had so much left to live. There is a lot of love to give,” wrote Keith O’Connell, a family friend. His last post on Instagram, on September 29, left another inspiring message to his followers: “Growth can be painful, change can be painful, but nothing is as painful as being trapped in a place where you don't belong.” ”.
Returning to her family, in 2015 Raechelle separated from her husband Chris Chase, after being married for 14 years. Three years earlier, in 2012, she had been sentenced to ten years in prison for a drug distribution crime. In 2016, the bodybuilder wrote an article in Stuff describing her relationship with her partner as “toxic.” “It wasn't just me who suffered, it was my entire family. If you know you are in an abusive relationship and you don't have the courage to leave it, do it for your children,” she wrote.
