Not even recent double hernia surgery is going to prevent supreme bodybuilding king, Phil “The Gift” Heath, from coming to Barbados next week to guest pose at the Darcy Beckles Invitational Classic.
Last night, contest promoter, Roger Boyce, ended speculation by making it clear that the Mr Olympia champion for the last seven years would be giving an exhibition at the November 11 event slated for the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
“Phil is coming. He has assured me he has recovered well from the hernia surgery and is good to go. He will be here next Tuesday and fans are in for a treat from the number one bodybuilder on the planet,” Boyce said.
Heath had major surgery on two huge hernias immediately after lifting his seventh Olympia title in Las Vegas, in September.
The news of his surgery was made through his partner Shurie on her Instagram page. According to the doctors, the 37-year-old African-American was a day away from intestinal strangulation which could have been fatal.
One hernia was above his belly button that spread two inches wide on each side where his upper intestines were caught within the torn tissue and muscle and a lower abdominal hernia, a part of his umbilical hernia that was thought to have been repaired.
This lower hernia was torn from side to side, causing Heath to have a three-inch hole that was an inch deep and had four inches of his small intestines hanging over that hole.
On the stage, the contest which is sanctioned by the Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation (CACBFF), will have a strong regional flavour with entrants from Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Antigua and St Lucia.
Reigning Mr Barbados Shaquile Lavine and former national champion Ramon Broomes, are expected to lead the local challenge in the main event, the Invitational Classic.
The Invitational Classic will be preceded by the Open show, which is attracting more than a dozen competitors. Former Barbados and Caribbean lightweight champion Sammy Eastmond is in the line-up and will be seeking to make a successful comeback. The top five in the Open qualify for the Invitational Classic.
Trinidad and Tobago have entered four women for what should be a riveting figure contest that is attracting ten entrants. Barbados will pin their hopes in this category on the experienced Ramona Morgan and the Thompson sisters, Lynette and Dionne. (MK)