Shuqrullah Shakili, a native of Helmand province, appears moments after he was selected Mr. Afghanistan 2009
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None of this stops the crowd at the Park Cinema from enjoying the five-hour competition, interrupted by two power outages, scuffles between rival entourages and a second-place contestant who refuses to leave the stage until the judges change their mind. (They don't.) In the end, they have their Mr. Afghanistan: Shuqrullah Shakili, a mechanic from Musa Qala, a desert outpost in Helmand province that was controlled by the Taliban until 2007. The top prize--a polyester tracksuit and a gold plastic trophy--won't enable Shakili to quit his day job. But he will get to compete in August's Asian championships in Iran, and his billboard appeal could attract sponsors. "Unfortunately, this is Afghanistan," says Mohsin. "No one can do this for money because there isn't any. But there's a lot of pride at stake, and everyone knows your name if you do well."
No Guns, No Glory To see a video of Afghan bodybuilders, visit time.com/mrafghanistan