The 35-year-old mother-of-three from Pristina struggled to hold back tears after rounding off a superb first year in the sport by adding two gold medals to the Arnold Classic and European titles she has already won.

Beqa, who runs a gym in the Kosovo capital along with her husband Dreni, was named overall world champion in the women’s wellness fitness category having already won gold in her up To 163 centimetres category

"I was confident in my abilities, but the world is a big place with many bigger nations," Beqa told insidethegames after defeating Brazil’s Angela Borges, winner of the over 163cm category, in the super final.

"I feel very proud for what I have been able to do here for my country."

IFBB President Rafael Santonja commented: "We have had a highly successful first day of our World Fitness Championships."

The Russian anthem was played with increasing regularity throughout an opening day in which the women’s body fitness, the women’s wellness fitness and most of the women’s bikini fitness categories were concluded.

Russia’s Svetlana Fiskova was declared overall women’s bodyfitness champion, having earned gold in the up to 163cm category ahead of team-mate Ksenia Kisileva and Norway’s Kari Solleid.

Her compatriots won two of the other three bodyfitness categories, with Ksenia Bogdanova taking the honours in the over 168cm event and Daria Manuilenkova winning the up to 168cm category.

Over 168cm silver and bronze medals went to Poland’s Katarzyna Dudek and Jenny Soderstrom of Sweden, while Russia’s Alesiya Sidorenko and Marina Chamoun of Sweden took silver and bronze in the up To 168cm class.

The only non-Russian to take gold in the women’s bodyfitness was Slovakia’s Alzbeta Petkova, winner in the up To 158cm class ahead of Poland’s Sylwia Taczala and Olga Lutsenko of Russia.

Four of the eight women’s bikini fitness events have now been held – and Russians have won every one.

Mariia Barkhudarova won the up to 164cm category, with  the silver medal going to Ukraine’s Kristina Korotka and bronze to Julietta Sebok of Hungary.

Gold in the up to 162cm category went to Hanna Kulinich, with compatriots Elizaveta Mukminova and Yana Belianskaia taking silver and bronze respectively.

Elena Skvortsova won the Up to 160cm category with the silver medal going to Yana Yenko of Ukraine and bronze to Arida Muru of Estonia.

Alexandra Kaverina took the ip to 158cm category, with silver and bronze medals going to Hanna Skvortsova of Ukraine and Paula Mocior of Poland.

Bega earned her first gold medal of the day after finishing ahead of Evelyn Dirocie Constanza of the Dominican Republic and Dagmara Dominiczak of Poland, while Olga Kulinych of Ukraine and Jeniffer Endriger of Brazil took silver and bronze behind Borges.

The concluding day’s action is due to take place tomorrow.