EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2008 (Portugal)
European Championship
WABBA Live in Portugal
So, in stunning condition and with loads of enthusiasm, the athletes got ready to go on stage, and the Medium category took the lead. These were all athletes of extraordinary quality, but Hungarian Alex-La-Llave played his game well, taking advantage, true enough, of his “Jean-Marc Claire” (WABBA professional)-like silhouette. Note also the excellent fourth placing of Swiss Vasquez Pellerano, as well as the tenth and thirteenth places for the French Pelloquin and the Belgian Van Der Veken, who, in their first attendance, showed off excellent abilities.
Miss Shape showed us all their feminine elegance by parading on stage in bathing suits. Their attractive lines and top physical condition were exactly what we were looking for in the Miss Shape category. The contestants then came back to show their athletic performances in the free posing round. In this it was the Russian Olga Nikolaeva who showed us how talented she was with a mind-blowing routine. She received, indeed, the prize for best posing for her presentation but in the end it was the Italian Sabrina Remorggida who won the category. The French Nelly Rey, in great shape, filled out this wonderful podium. The Belgian Nathalie Pétillon took an excellent tenth place for her first international competition. It is a class that always appreciated, seeing all these beautiful women combine sport with elegance, grace and femininity. Thanks go to them for a great show.
In the Junior category it was Stéfanos Gkotses, from the German team which came en masse, who everyone agreed should take first place on a junior stage of top quality, which promises to take over where the elder competitors leave off.
After the Juniors another category invaded the stage not only in number but also in quality. Obviously, this was the new category of Men’s Body Fitness. This was the most difficult category to separate due to the extraordinary quality of all 17 athletes! For a first run, it was a great turnout! Thinner than their colleagues in the size categories, they were no less ripped and cut. Hungary took first place with Lazlo Zombori, and the rest of the podium were all Lituanian but not unknown, as they were the ex-champions of the fitness category Linas Krikala and Arturas Barktus. The Belgian Eric Kafindo, still a beginner six months ago, was noticed for his muscle quality and obtained a well deserved tenth place… we will surely be seeing him again soon…
After the youngsters the Supermasters came out! More than fifty years old but always invigorated by the fire of competition, while the young folk may be ready to take over from their elder counterparts, the Supermasters keep hanging on to competition. Each competition the category grows, and this time it was the German Werner Hol that forestalled Tibor Medek from Reunion Island and the Hungarian Tibor Medek to take the crown. Once again, guys, congratulations for your single-mindedness and persistence.
The nest youngest category, the Masters (over 40s), presented us a show of rare quality. Back to competition, the Belgian Thierry Tillieux dominated unanimously, thwarting the Italian Lorenzo Gallo and his compatriot Didier De Scryver. Not bad, Belgium! Congratulations Thierry! We hope to see you again at the World Championships 2008, which will be held in Cancun, Mexico.
If the previous categories already showed us exceptional quality, nobody could imagine the end of the battle in the Small class. Mass and density almost unheard of. It was difficult even for the judges to separate both protagonists here. Nevertheless, after a merciless battle the Russian Dmitri Pakhtaev took first place on the podium ahead of the Mexican Eligio Campos and the Italian Gianluca Berdini. The French Fabrice Ferah finished fourth, but with the muscular quality he has, he will no doubt come back to knock down his adversaries! Congratulations also to the Dutch Barents Johannes in fifteenth place and Bello Gerard from Reunion Island in sixteenth for their strong performances in a category where competition was fierce.
With the number of athletes in Body Fitness we expected to see fewer athletes in the Men Fitness category. No matter, even here the quality was present, especially with the Italian Giuliano Lacolla who won the category, in spite of the excellent posing of the Latvian Andrejs Tokarevs and the muscular quality of the Portuguese Ruy Miguel Dos Reis. Very good performance from Olivier Van Gool who took sixth place. This athlete has excellent potential in this category, but he has still to build some muscle mass given his big height. Now, all competitors who feel ready to show off their athletic qualities, take up the challenge and get ready for the World Championships in Mexico!
The Miss Fitness category saw a ruthless battle between two Hungarian ladies for first place. It was finally Orsolya Nagy who fought off her compatriot Brigitta Grof. Third place was won by the Venezuelan Patricia Gil. We all appreciated the grace and femininity of these athletes, who again succeeded in combining bodybuilding and elegance. Thank you ladies!
As it often is, the Big classes closed the championship, maintaining the high level shown in the other categories. Once again Hungary was the strongest region, with its representative Gyorgy Sara. The Russian Alexander Poloznikov, a work in progress, took second place just ahead of the Italian Mirco Benetti. As for the Swiss Gasser Ivan and Dupertuis Christophe, they finished respectively in eight and ninth places. They were in good condition, but given the class of their competitors they could not do better.
And the Overall Winner, Akex La-Llave gave Hungary the nation’s cup. We hope that in Mexico next November, there will be a big turnout of athletes keen to take revenge on the Hungarian. Any takers from Europe and the UK that would like to spend a dream stay following their passion, you will be more than welcome in Mexico, so get ready… it starts now! See you in Cancún, Mexico!
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