Darah To Dream

Fast-rising IFBB Pro League bikini competitor DARAH DIAZ talks stage presence, dirty burgers, and her secret desire to protect and serve.

- Steve Mazzucchi

In your first year as a pro, you’ve finished second in two big shows. Are you surprised how fast you’ve succeeded?

Yeah, but I was ready. I knew I brought my best, so I just hoped to be rewarded for it. It was more like excitement, not shock—everything I’ve worked hard for finally is being shown.

Who inspired you to compete?

My boyfriend was competing, and once I started going to the gym with him, people were saying, “You should compete, you look like you have the body to do it.” And I was just like, “OK!” I started in 2015, and I just loved it from the first time I stepped onstage.

What do you love about it?

I love to perform. I was a dancer my entire life, so I’m used to being onstage in front of a crowd, showing what I’ve worked on. It’s the same exact thing with bikini—I’m just wearing a different outfit and doing something different onstage.

What’s your favorite body part to train?