Desiree Cezanne

by Gene X Hwang - January 2003

James Bond flicks always have titles like "Die Another Day," or "You Only Live Twice" but in the case of Desiree Cezanne, that's actually reality.

"When I was four I drowned in our outdoor hot tub. My breathing and heart stopped. When I came out of a coma, the doctors said I would either be paralyzed from the neck down or mentally handicapped for the rest of my life. Needless to say, I proved that wrong!"

Quite an amazing thing when you see Cezanne compete in fitness as a National-level competitor.

The 23-year-old student at the University of Colorado is studying Communications and Political Science. However, earlier in life, she had to face other challenges beyond the hot tub and coma...

"Training for fitness helped me work through an eating disorder. Feeling physically strong is very empowering. I have a lot of support from my best friend Chad who is a bodybuilder. He took me to my first ever competition and I was hooked."

So just like that she made the switch and started training. Cezanne admits that shoulders are her favorite to train, but that she also loves to perform on stage. Of course, feeling good about her physique is truly rewarding as well.

While she may look poised and confident on stage, she admits that she has to work really hard at not being clumsy, and mentally has to practice control over her stage fright. It didn't look like she was nervous on stage at Nationals, and she should continue to improve in her future competitions which include the USAs and Team Universe.

Outside of fitness, Cezanne enjoys travelling, hiking, snowboarding, scrapbooking, and watching movies.

Contest History:
- 2002 NPC Nationals - 12th place
- 2002 Northern Colorado Championships - OVERALL in Fitness & 1st in Figure
- 2001 Carol Semple Fitness Classic - 2nd in Fitness & 4th in Figure