For the?first time, a Barbadian will flex muscle on stage at the Arnold Classic Amateur bodybuilding contest in Ohio.
Reigning Mr Barbados Ramon Broomes will line up this weekend against some of the best amateurs in the world in Columbus, the capital of the American state.
The former Barbados and Caribbean junior champion will face the challenge of light middleweight entrants from Russia, Ukraine, India, Qatar, Phillipines, Brazil, Peru, Japan, Bahrain and Venezuela.
The contest is attracting more than 100 competitors, 18 of them in the light middleweight class.
In 2011, the fast rising 21-year-old Broomes won both the Junior and the light middleweight titles at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships in El Salvador. Last year, he became one of the youngest ever Mr Barbados winners when he nosed out the experienced Hoskin “Biscuits”?Worrell in a compelling showdown that required both men to return to the stage for a tie-breaker.
A product of Foundation and The Lodge Schools, Broomes, who competes under the banner of the south coast-based Oceans 2 gym, will bring shape, balance and the well shaped legs, but must know he will have to bring plenty of muscle detail as well.
Condition has been an issue for him and back in November, he was a shade smooth and nowhere the top three at the annual Darcy Beckles Invitational Classic held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
The president of the Barbados Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, Andrew Forde, told WEEKENDSPORT that the federation was delighted to sanction Broomes’ participation in the event.
“I hope he can put it together this weekend,”?Forde said. “He must know that he has to come in sharper than he has done in the past.
“He is a very talented young athlete and I am sure he will give it his best shot against some of the top amateurs from around the globe.”
The Arnold Amateur sets the stage for the revered Arnold Classic (Pro), the main course of this weekend’s special muscle meal.
The rejuvenated Dexter “The Blade” Jackson is the front-runner to capture the Arnold Classic Pro, second in eminence on the bodybuilding calender only to Mr Olympia.
Jackson has just come off an impressive fourth placing at the 2011 Mr Olympia and an emphatic win at the Masters Olympia. The 43-year-old has defied the laws of physics and turned back the clock with a physique reminiscent of his banner year in 2008, when he won the Arnold Classic (his third) and the Mr Olympia.
A fourth win here would tie Jackson with Flex Wheeler for most Arnold titles. Last year’s New York Pro winner Cedric McMillan is generating plenty of pre-contest buzz and, if he comes in shape, could present a host of problems for the lineup.
Two other veterans, Toney Freeman and Johnnie Jackson, rejuvenated their careers last year as well and will be looking to carry that momentum into 2013.
Canadian giants Ben Pakulski and Fouad Abiad are hungrier than ever, and a major win would catapult them to the next level. Add Ed Nunn and Hidetada Yamagishi, and you have a major league opener for 2013.
