2018 UK International Championships & WNBF Pro International
Photos courtesy of Sam Solarfly, Matt Marsh Photography
The domestic season came to an explosive end at Bedworth Civic Hall on October 21st, as 154 of the finest athletes ever hosted by the UKDFBA in its history did battle for the “big one” and to earn a place on Team UK for the Worlds in Los Angeles.
A crowd of almost 800 throughout the day roared on each class, as the result of an entire seasons hard work for the athletes came to fruition class by class. Like any event of this calibre, every athlete was there with a win in their sights which of course could not happen for everyone and there was bitter disappointment in equal measure to the jubilation of those who tasted their coveted victory. From start to finish, the event was a shining example of elite level sport and competitive spirit and will be remembered for a long time to come.
With the standard across the classes being so very high the results were understandably close fought with very little splitting the placings in most cases which makes this a very difficult report to write. In almost all of the divisions, the difference between first and last place was marginal at best with the judging panel having an incredibly hard task at hand throughout the day.
The results were as follows...
Teenage Men
1 – Robert Brown (Elgin)
2 – William Tshikomb (Walsall)
3 – Karl Lingard (Clitheroe)
4 – Santiago Saldana (Aberdeen)
5 – Taylor Henderson (Strathaven)
6 – Jack Wilson (Stamford)
7 – Edward O’Regan (Eastleigh)
Robert took the first title of the day with his well balanced and rock hard physique by a narrow but well deserved margin over the teen phenomenon Will, who was the precontest favourite to run out a comfortable winner but appeared at the finals some way from the level of condition needed by modern contest standards, but still big and shapely enough to see off the rest of the class. Karl pipped the bigger Santiago for third in a contest which could have gone either way by virtue of being harder and more detailed overall. Taylor needed to be harder to climb higher than fifth on this occasion with Jack and Edward battling hard for sixth, both in good shape but needing more size to place higher.
Junior Men
1 – Henry Manning (Marlow)
2 – Will Andrews (Walton on the Naze)
3 – Arshdeep Singh (Uxbridge)
4 – Charlie Canes (Thatcham)
5 – Cian Brennan (Ireland)
6 – Daniel Argent (Widnes)
Another hard fought class, with all of the top three capable of the win which was eventually taken by a huge Henry who had a little too much size and condition in the end to be denied. Will pipped Arshdeep for second with plenty of muscle in absolutely shredded condition but without the shape and flow of the other two men. Arshdeep has incredible potential and had the most pleasing physique of the class, but a tiny imbalance between upper and lower body and a fraction less condition than ideal which cost him the win today. Charlie and Irish National Champ Cian battled hard for fourth, which was eventually awarded to the Thatcham man by a narrow margin due to his slightly heavier muscled and wider shouldered package. Daniel won the battle for the final placing in another close fight against Aidan Scanlon and Jonathan Taylor and Erwin Sokolowski with but could easily see himself into the winners circle if he nails his conditioning.
Masters Men
1 – Oli Perry (Leamington Spa)
2 – Billy Duthie (Dundee)
3 – Clifton Morais (Birmingham)
4 – Ian Stevenson (Milford Haven)
5 – Michael Boyle (Paisley)
6 – Matt Hall (Maidstone)
The titanic rematch between Oli and Billy was one of the most anticipated of the day with both men huge, rock hard and overflowing with mature muscle. By the closest of margins, a lifetime best Oli took the title with Billy runner up. Clifton was a solid third, needing a little more condition to topple the guys above him today. Ian and Michael battled hard for fourth, with both men absolutely rock hard but Ian taking the nod with a little more muscle thickness overall. Matt was another man who found himself in a titanic battle for 6th, as he edged out Chris Chapman and mark Newton by the closest of margins due to being a little bigger and fuller than them, although all three were in great condition. Irelands Martin Saunders looked lean and mean and a rock hard Damon Solley who was on the fringes of the battle for sixth in his best shape to date with Mark Thompson and Texas’ David Rivera rounded out the class, both needing to be harder and more conditioned on this occasion.
Grandmasters Men
1 – Henry Elsom (Banbury)
2 – Gary Arbon (Thatcham)
3 – Kenny Rye (Worthing)
4 – Ian Scammell (Bristol)
5 – Roy Vaughan (Dunstable)
6 – Rob Feesey (Axminster)
The returning Henry continued his destructive comeback with a decisive win in the Grandmasters class, too heavily muscled and conditioned to be challenged today and every bit as good as he has ever been. Likewise, Gary was a clear runner up with masses of muscle on his frame and hard condition. Kenny and Ian battled hard for third place, both big and ripped with Kenny getting the nod eventually with his more pleasing shape. The amazing Roy Vaughan was huge and hard in fifth, and also took the Over 60 title in the process. Rob narrowly beat Michael Boyle for the final trophy slot, with just a little too much muscle to be denied on this occasion. Adrian Hampton rounded out the class in good shape but against incredible opposition like he was today needed a little more size and condition overall.
Ladies Masters Figure
1 – Lorraine Hills (Aldershot) *** Overall Winner ***
2 – Alison Story (Southend)
3 – Janine Bingham (Chorley)
4 – Rebekah Bailey (Ulverston)
5 – Paula Christian Cox (Chester)
6 – Sara Robinson (Abingdon)
A decisive and impressive title defense followed as 2017 UK & World Champion Lorraine reproduced last years incredible package to see of a strong lineup. The next three placings were very close, with all three ladies in great condition and who could have placed any other way round with no complaints. Paula in fifth looked incredible but not quite developed enough to topple the ladies ahead of her. Sara took sixth in a close fight with Maria Giordmaina which ended in a tie on points, split by the head judge. Sara was lean and muscular with Maria more aesthetic but needing more condition. Again, another contest that could have ended the other way round with no grumbles. Elaine Lepkowski was her best yet, but not quite muscular enough to crack the placings today.
Novice Men
1 – Dale Spratt (Uttoxeter)
2 – Toby Davies (Farnham)
3 – Moteleola Makinde (London)
4 – Thomas Hill (Newark)
5 – Anthony Bevas (Coventry)
6 – Finn Macnamara (Chesterfield)
One of the hardest decisions of the day came in this super tight line up to split an incredibly close top three with runner up Toby huge and lean, third placed Moteleola absolutely rock hard but winner Dale boasting the best shape of the three, and with enough muscle and condition to edge out the other two to take a very close win. Thomas and Anthony were both much improved over their qualifiers and equally close to split in fourth and fifth with Thomas being slightly harder in getting the nod. Once again, sixth place was a huge battle between and overjoyed Finn and Kyle Davis who have been closely matched all season and were hard to split.
Kris Payne, Rob Wheadon, Adam Snedker, John Russell, David Smith, Sean Walker and Gavin Shergill were all in impeccable condition but needed more size to crack the placings and Stuart Saunders was big and ruggedly muscled but a little short of the condition he showed at his qualifier.
Ladies Figure
1 – Iuliana Enache (Italy)
2 – Florina Fekete (Austria)
3 – Karla Evans (Ormskirk)
4 – Grace Hall (Bristol)
5 – Maijken Tind (Denmark)
6 – Susan Currie (Hindhead)
A very impressive win from Iuliana, who moved up from the bikini division to find herself right at home in this class with muscle, shape and condition in perfect measure today. Florina and Karla fought it out for second with the Austrian athlete just pipping the Northern Counties Champion at the post. Grace had an incredible, well muscled and near perfectly shaped figure which was just held out of the top 3 by the sharper conditioned athletes ahead of her. Maijken and Susan contested fifth place, with the Danish challenger bagging the trophy with a slightly more aesthetic shape and far smoother posing than the Southern Champion.
Erin Coleman, Sarah Anderson, Denmarks Terese Clausen and Irelands Alexandra Byrne rounded out the class with Erin and Alexandra needing a little more muscle development and Sarah and Terese needing to be a touch sharper today to break the placings.
Ladies Figure Overall
Ladies Bodybuilding
1 – Michelle Lawrence (London)
2 – Jo Barrett (Taunton)
3 – Faye Brownjohn (Harlow)
4 – Tereza Slezova (London)
5 – Sabrina Cawley-Brady (Manchester)
6 – Marie Newton (Birmingham)
An incredibly hard fought class of the highest standard with the first three ladies all receiving at least one first place vote from the judges, and it’s no surprise as they were very closely matched. In the end, and overjoyed Michelle finished a dream of a domestic season with a one point win over Jo and Faye who were tied for second before another head judges tie breaker. All three ladies are World class and Pro standard and it’s only a matter of time before Faye and Jo lift this title if they so choose.
Tereza was a clear fourth, improved over last year and in great condition once again shown off with an incredible posing display. Sabrina and Marie battled hard for the last two placings, both needing to be a little harder but both with superb and well muscled physiques.
Open Men, Lightweight
1 – Chris Paling (Loughborough)
2 – Craig Dyson (Stevenage)
3 – Musa Dilek (Kingston)
4 – Jack Gadd (Weston Super Mare)
5 – Damian Blackwood (Birmingham)
6 – Ryan Howells (Bristol)
This years Danish Open Champion Chris came to the finals as a favourite on paper and didn’t fail to live up to expectations as he lifted his first UK title in his usual staggering condition with thick muscle all over his frame. Craig was a solid runner up, improved from his qualifier and with an incredible aesthetic shape to his large frame. Musa, Jack and Damian battled hard for the next three places with Musa coming out on top in his best shape yet, pipping Jack who was hard and detailed but perhaps a little too tall and long limbed for this division and Damian who seemed to struggle posing effectively today, losing vital ground from the rear against the other men as he posed narrow and hunched but with potential to lift this title in the near future. Ryan rounded out the top 6 with his usual classic shape, but looking a little flat and drawn from his efforts to make the weight limit and definitely more suited to the middleweights.
Scott Galton just missed the top 6, with his upper body now in balance with his incredible lower and his condition and posing their best yet. Achie Gyedu and Eugene McLure completed the lineup, Achie capable of placing much higher if he nailed his condition and Eugene in by far the best shape he has ever been for his first final.
Open Men, Middleweight
1 – Andrzej Krawczyk (Coventry)
2 – Frederik Ipsen (Denmark)
3 – Thomas Tusore (Ghana)
4 – Alan Potter (Edinburgh)
5 – Jon Mitchell (Southampton)
6 – Peter Stark (Austria)
The “Dark Horse” of the day came in the shape of Middleweight Champ Andrzej, who stormed to a unanimous win in a strong class in only his first year of competition with incredible condition on his thickly muscled physique. Pre contest favourites Frederik Ipsen from Denmark and Thomas Tusore of Ghana both would have been worthy champions on any other day, but would be held off by the winners unmatched conditioning this time. Ipsen is a legend in waiting with his incredible structure and mass, but needs to master his conditioning whereas Thomas was rock hard and full, but a touch too light in the lower body. Alan Potter just made it down from heavyweight and took some huge scalps with his shredded and densely muscled frame with Jon taking fifth with potential close to the runner up with an incredible structure and full muscle bellies just lacking the condition that saw him take second last year. Peter battled hard to take his eventual sixth place, pushed hard by a shredded Charlie Neal (who tied with Peter for 6th, losing the tiebreak) and Syed Hashemi who was hot on their heels and another man who could win it all if he finds the right condition.
Neils Porter of Belgium, Rob Collie and Alex Tsang completed the class. All were in great shape and good enough to crack the placings on most years but found themselves in a very special class today.
Open Men, Heavyweight
1 – Ali Stewart (Shepperton) *** Overall Winner ***
2 – Solomon Onaola (Stourbridge)
3 – Daniel Osborne (Hemel Hempstead)
4 – Theo Golaub (Manchester)
5 – Chris Tyson (Rochdale)
6 – Stephen Adjei Boamah (Ghana)
Lifting the title in his debut year with the UKDFBA, Heavyweight winner Ali called time on this class and served notice on the overall the second he stepped onstage. Too big, too hard and too complete for any other man in the contest to match today, the seasoned 14 year veteran of the game took unanimous first place votes in his class and the overall to become the UKs newest WNBF Professional. Solomon was a little too big and aesthetic for the shredded Daniel who in turn was impressive enough to hold Theo off and secure third place. Theo himself has limitless potential and is a future champion without doubt once he matures a little and masters his conditioning. Chris took 5th in his first open class finals with incredible conditioning and great presentation. Once he adds some overall size he will feature strongly in any line up. Ghanas Stephen presented an impressively big, shapely and full physique which just lacked the hardness to be a challenge today.
Mens Bodybuilding Overall
WNBF Pro Figure
1 – Annalisa Ghirotti (Italy)
2 – Lucy Walton (England)
A small, but elite line up with both ladies boasting incredible figure development and impeccable presentation. Annalisa took her second UK International title with her superior conditioning today, and remains arguably Europes number one Pro Figure competitor.
WNBF Pro Womens Bodybuilding
1 – Yvette Arthur (England)
2 – Danni Terresa (England)
3 – Jorun Larsen Morkore (Faroe Islands)
Another close battle of elite athletes with all three ladies bringing incredible physiques to the stage in Europes only Pro Womens Bodybuilding event. Yvette was too well conditioned to be beaten today though, with a distinct edge in shoulder width and taper over debuting Danni who has improved her dense musculature over last season and really rose to the occasion. The compact and muscular Jorun took her third Pro UK International medal, more thickly muscular than ever but not quite hard enough today to trouble the Silver and Gold medal positions.
WNBF Pro Mens Bodybuilding, Lightweight
1 – Ben Howard (England) *** Overall Winner ***
2 – Damian Lees (England)
3 – Thomas Nordal Rasmussen (Denmark)
4 – Derek Brettell (Scotland)
5 – Matteo Mazzotti (Italy)
The first of two incredible classes, with the tiniest of margins splitting most of the placings in both the light and heavyweight Pros and very little between these men overall, as one would expect from athletes at this level. These division truly were a sight to behold as the true elite battled for the medals.
Ben took the first title in his pro debut and went on to lift the overall against equally strong challenges with dense and detailed muscle all over. Damian was close to his best ever, with thick mature muscle and some standout body parts and pushed the winner close while holding off a strong challenge for his second position which itself was closely fought out between a shredded and mature looking Thomas and an incredibly aesthetically pleasing Derek who was his absolute lifetime best. Matteo had his work cut out for him today in fifth and lacked the overall condition to push harder at this level, but too was a fine example of a Pro level athlete.
WNBF Pro Mens Bodybuilding, Heavyweight
1 – Martin Petro (Slovakia)
2 – Prince Bada Lekan (Nigeria/USA)
3 – Alessandro Manfredi (Italy)
With all three men taking at least one first place vote from the judges, there’s little to say about the heavyweight class apart from just how incredible they all were. Martin took a close win, being the hardest and thickest in the class but lacking the natural “flow” of the other two men. Bada and Alessandro tied for runner up spot with Bada a little short of his usual best condition but with incredible thick muscle bellies and Alessandro huge, hard and with a lovely V taper and sweeping quads. There could have genuinely been no complaint at all if these three men placed in a totally different order today, and no doubt they may do just that if they meet again later in the season.
WNBF Pro Mens Overall
Ladies Bikini, Short
1 – Beth Brennan (Leicester) *** Overall Winner ***
2 – Rhiannon Pontin (Newbridge)
3 – Meg Smith (Glasgow)
4 – Noor Haddad (Sheffield)
5 – Laura Gallagher (Ireland)
6 – Claire Hulme (Manchester)
The mega high standards and narrow margins between athletes continued with the first of the Bikini divisions, as two former champions locked horns with relative newcomer and eventual winner Beth in a matchup which could have ended with any of the three in the winners spot. A slightly harder Beth edged the decision over Rhiannon by the tiniest of margins who in turn just held Meg off into third who was perfectly conditioned by a fraction down in size and fullness from her 2016 win. All three ladies were perfectly presented and the epitome of what this class is about. Noor didn’t have quite enough to push the top three today but took fourth comfortably against the remaining athletes in the class. Irelands Laura was a little off the shape which saw her take her national title a few weeks earlier, but well on track to regain her best form for the upcoming Worlds where she had potential to be well in the mix. Claire took a very closely fought sixth place over Malgorzata Kasprzycka whose tan almost certainly kept her from being a few places higher after turning a very odd tone and making it hard to judge her and Sandra Lee who was lean and muscular but without the natural shape and flow to her figure to place higher at this level.
Ladies Bikini, Tall
1 – Alexandra Dancso (Leeds)
2 – Agne Lekaunikaite (Belfast)
3 – Shaunagh O’Neill (Newark)
4 – Chanelle Williams (London)
5 – Lucy Henley (Thatcham)
6 – Anja Katrine Sorensen (Denmark)
The tall class, although equally as strong in standard had no such battle for the top as Heart of England Champion Alexandra took the title by a margin before narrowly missing out on the overall on a tie break decision. Caledonian Champ Agne was no pushover though with a superb athletic figure which would have been worthy of the title any other day, although some tweaks to her presentation, particularly keeping her hair from covering her shoulders and upper back while posing are required. Shaunagh bagged third in a tough battle between her, Chanelle and Lucy which was hard to split as all three ladies were very closely matched as Denmarks Anja took the final trophy spot ahead of Rebecca Lewis and Sandra Werni of Austria with all three ladies needing a little more muscle overall to climb the placings.
Ladies Bikini Overall
Mens Physique, Short
1 – Bobby Fotheringham (Nuneaton) *** Overall Winner ***
2 – Devere Payne (Manchester)
3 – Jason Magee (Manchester)
4 – Mark Brown (Coventry)
5 – Nathaniel Goldstein (Cambridge)
6 – Kevin Oo (Leeds)
A jubilant Bobby turned things around drastically from his runner up spot at his qualifier, taking the title over an incredible Devere by virtue of a little more size and fullness in the upper body. Jason in third was bordering on a little too hard, but his great V taper and full pecs and delts were enough to edge out Mark and Nathaniel from the top 3, when in reality all three men could have taken the bronze medal without complaint. Jason and Mark, as well as winner Bobby fall very close to the upper limit of muscularity for this class and it isn’t hard to see them competing as bodybuilders if they get much bigger. Nathaniels dramatic taper and full chest will always catch the eye of the judges but a little more size in the lower body, calves especially is required to complete his balance.
Kevin rounded out the placings with a superb overall physique that just needs a little more of everything to push him up the placings at this level. Superb future potential.
Jannik Jarnsborg of Denmark and Connor McCarthy of Ireland as well as USN Classic Champ Greg Smith were very much on the fringes of the top 6 with superb physiques and just unlucky to be in such a high standard line up today. Izaak Dunk looked great but needs more overall size whereas Conor Smith needed to be harder. Hinesh Shukla had lost a great deal of the conditioning that saw him qualify four weeks previously which cost him dearly today and Gregorz Bijoch was lean and muscular but didn’t have the shape to push for the top 6 today.
Mens Physique, Tall
1 – Levi Walker (Corby)
2 – Nicolo Catalano (London)
3 – Peter Laurie (Shefford)
4 – Luke Humphries (St Ives)
5 – Kasey Birtley (Coventry)
6 – Chris Davies (London)
Like the bikini classes before, the Tall Physique boasted a clear and conclusive winner in the shape of defending champ and Danish Open winner Levi who pretty much bought a textbook physique to the stage and was desperately unlucky to miss out on the overall by the tiniest of margins. Nicolo took the battle for second with a well muscled and conditioned physique which lacked only a little development from the back, ahead of Peter and Luke who were well developed and lean but both lacked the ideal shape and symmetry to push higher. Kasey and Chris took fifth and sixth with incredible striking shapes and great condition which will translate into winning physiques without doubt once they gain a little more size. James Hart, Gregg Winfield-Jowitt, James Watkinson, Sam Harvey and Kurtis Jacques completed the class. Each man was in great shape, but needed a little more size to crack the placings today.
And with that, our 8th UK Championships was committed to the history books and what looked on paper to be one of our strongest teams in history was selected for the Worlds. This marked the end of an incredible domestic season, which would not have been possible without our members, supporters, staff and sponsors. Thank you all for making the UKDFBA what it is. We look forward to seeing you in 2019.
Lee.
Mens Physique Overall
UKDFBA Team
