Saleh Hussein al-Raidi is fighting against the odds in Yemen in an attempt to make his bodybuilding dreams a reality.
In a dimly lit, suffocatingly hot gym in Yemen, bodybuilder Saleh Hussein al-Raidi wraps his hands around rusty barbells, training with steely-eyed resolve for his dream of entering major competitions abroad.
But the 24-year-old, who works two jobs to support his family, lacks the means to buy the supplements and protein-rich foods he needs to build bulk, setting him up for a more gruelling fight than many of his opponents.
Barefoot among the battered machines, he sweats as he runs through his workout in a blue singlet, ignoring the traffic noise blaring through the open door.
Al-Raidi is fuelled more by passion than the strict nutrition regimen required by his sport, his meals often limited to a small piece of fish with rice – more affordable but not as rich in protein as products like eggs and chicken.
