Packing 200 pounds of dense muscle, Cyprian Mallett provided the perfect season-ender to capture the Michael Riley Bodybuilding Classic at the Foundation School on Sunday night.
Mallett, who finished third last season behind the champion Andre “Rockers” Eversley and Nicholas Benjamin, turned the tables on Eversley, who finished third behind the young and talented former Mr Schoolboy Michard Pierre.
Pierre, who took the Best Poser prize, had earlier defeated Cole Yates in the Invitational.
An obviously disappointed Yates made amends in the Tyre Flip, topping Martin Jones and Dwayne Cumberbatch respectively.
Yates was always under pressure to match the sharper muscles of Pierre. The former junior champion showed greater stage experience and class in his posing to be certainly better than Yates who went for showmanship rather than focused display.
Eversley, the defending champion, was firm and showed musculature in all of the right places to impress the judges.
He also put on a display that would not have scored on the judges’ sheets but definitely was a hit with the females. However, he was robotic and devoid of any flair in his posing.
On the other hand, Mallett, who also claimed Most Muscular and Best Symmetry was the epitome of smooth posing, emphasizing rippling arms and legs complemented by a solid chest, back and thighs.
Rookie Jason Bowen can take some lessons from Mallett and Pierre as he has the potential to be a winner once he gains the necessary stage experience.
The women’s Bikini section tossed up a weak field which was won by Jessie Taglight – a decision which did not go down well among some spectators.
Second place went to Jill Thornhill while the slim Makeba Layne placed third.
The other contestant, Ann-Lyn Weekes, used a lot of stage time trying to sway the judges with her seductive moves. She might be more successful next edition if she would use some of that time in working on her soft mid-section.
The Men’s Physique Division was taken by Ryan Haynes with Trevor Browne second, Dominique Rapson third, and Kino Gill fourth.
St Cyprian’s schoolboy Edon Springer was just as dynamic in his guest posing as he was in the recent Mr Schoolboy event.
The flawless Concept Gym provided the fitting climax with Barbados’ No. 1 pro Lyndon Belgrave giving the moderate crowd, particularly the women, lots to cheer about by donning a Christmas hat and walking between the seats and giving them a close-up view.
