BARBADOS’ darling of bikini fitness, Domini Alleyne, will be gracing the stage tonight, her first time this year.
Alleyne, who swept the three shows she competed in here last year and also came second at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships in St Maarten, will be making a guest appearance at the annual Michael Riley Classic at St Leonard’s Boys’ School.
“It was a last-minute decision to guest-pose. Technically, I had about a month to get my body in shape as this will be my first time on stage for the year,” Alleyne told SUNSPORT.
“I won’t be in competition shape, but good enough for a guest appearance as I had to work really hard, doing cardio and training sometimes twice a day,” said the Strike Force Gym member.
Alleyne, 31, Zephirin’s new ambassador for 10-grain and Nulife, said she was stricken with chikungunya after returning from St Maarten and winning the 2014 Darcy Beckles Classic to add to earlier wins at the Bridgetown show and the National Championships.
“This year, I was asked a lot of questions as to why I didn’t compete after doing so well in 2014, but I wanted to give myself a rest after taking part in four shows last year and focus on my personal life. At the same time, I was helping a few athletes to compete,” said Alleyne, who is also a personal trainer.
The charming Alleyne won’t be the only attraction when the Classic starts at 6 p.m. as the increasingly popular Men’s Physique has attracted 15 competitors. Shone Springer, who won the admiration of fans at last month’s Darcy Beckles Classic, is the hot favourite, while Michael Thompson and Andre Bascombe are others to look out for.
Reigning Miss Schoolgirl Elsie Mofford, along with Dominique Doughty will head the body fitness and bikini fitness fields, respectively, while Mr Schoolboy Kammeco Byer will renew his rivalry with Laslo Bryan.
In the Invitational contest, the impressive Samuel Eastmond and promising David Small are among 11 entrants seeking to dethrone last year’s winner Shaquille Lavine, while Joe Bourne is favoured to take the over-50 Masters class from the durable William Morris.