Elizabeth Smart Shares Powerful Message After Placing at Bottom of Bodybuilding Competition

Elizabeth Smart put resilience before rankings after finishing last in two divisions at the North American Championships in Pittsburgh.

“Another show for the books! Had such a blast,” Smart wrote Saturday in an Instagram post that included footage of her competing in a metallic blue bikini.

The 38-year-old advocate explained that she entered the contest with a personal goal that went beyond a trophy or a high placement.

“I’ve always said ‘just stepping on stage is a win for me!’ And I completely stand by that,” Smart said in her message.

“I competed in two classes: ‘Masters 35+,’ which requires you to be 35 or older, and ‘Open Class D,’ which is height-based. I placed at the bottom of both classes,” she shared.

Still, the former ABC News commentator said the result did not lessen the value of taking part in the event.

“Regardless of where I placed, I loved the whole experience, had an amazing coach (@slcrobynmaher), got to step onstage with my best friend (@mpholsombake), and had the best support squad in the audience I could ask for,” Smart wrote.

The competition marked another chapter in Smart’s relatively new bodybuilding journey, which she publicly revealed in April.

“[I] brought a better physique and stage presence than at my previous shows, and I’m so proud of myself for the hard work, discipline, and bravery it takes me to compete,” she revealed.

Smart’s post also offered a broader message for followers dealing with their own setbacks.

“So here’s to pursuing goals and not giving up!” she said.

The setback in Pittsburgh follows a much stronger showing for Smart at April’s Wasatch Warrior competition in Salt Lake City.

She won the Fit Model Novice category, placed second in Fit Model and finished third in Fit Model Masters 35+.

Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City bedroom in 2002 at age 14 and was rescued nine months later, turning her experience into a career centered on survivor support and child-safety awareness.

“We have a long history of making entertainment off of terrible things: wars, death. It’s not surprising to me [how popular true crime is],” Smart said, per Real Simple.

She added, “But I also think it’s so much more powerful and meaningful when it’s coming from the person who lived it themselves.”

“They can really take you inside their story and can really help you understand from their point of view, rather than it just [being told by] some other person who wasn’t there and who has never experienced it,” she continued.

In 2011, she founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, an organization that works to promote hope, empowerment and change in the fight against sexual violence.

Her public work has expanded again this year with the iHeartMedia podcast, “The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart,” which launched on August 17.

“I think, I hope, that I have a good enough reputation that survivors would feel safe with me and would feel comfortable enough talking to me, because I am a survivor too,” Smart said.

“I have been able to meet and listen to so many amazing people who have shared their stories,” she concluded.