A bodybuilding champion and former Mr. Universe has d!ed at 57, with his rivals describing him as a “legend” of the sport.
Six-time Spanish bodybuilding champion José Antonio Hernandez Torres, who was known affectionately as “Jocha,” di£d in Tenerife just a month before his 58th birthday, Spanish outlet Revista el Verdano reported. They did not give a cause of de@th.
The hulking athlete won the Mr. Universe in 2004 during a career spanning more than four decades.
He opened the Jocha fitness gym in Tenerife after retiring from competition.
“With over 40 years’ experience in sport, as well as his entrepreneurial endeavours with his famous gym, we have lost the most internationally decorated sportsman in the history of La Verdellada-Barrio Nuevo,” the local neighborhood association said online, without revealing a cause of d£ath.
Fellow bodybuilder Jose Maria Garcia described Jocha as a “legend of our sport” in an online tribute.
“One of the first Spaniards who, in the 1980s, was on a par with the world’s best, representing our country at various international events. We will always admire him,” he said.