Ollyn: National Championships Will Be Competitive Without Two Top Guns

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A former national bodybuilding champion and a top competitor during the annual championships here, Ollyn Martin, has sought to allay public concerns over whether or not the absence of two suspended bodybuilders from next month’s National Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championships, could negatively impact the quality of the event.
Last year, former champion, Orson Martin and defending champion Kenny Jacobs, were both placed on one-year suspensions after they were accused of breaching the Antigua and Barbuda Bodybuilding & Weightlifting Federation ethics code and will, therefore, miss this year’s championships as the suspensions will expire in September.
According to Ollyn however, a number of young and upcoming talents are set to take the stage by storm.
“Orson and Kenny are two great bodybuilders but I must say that all of the athletes have stepped up their game. Elvis Bailey, I think, is looking the best I’ve ever seen him and all of the other guys are really putting in the work so I don’t really think it’s going to be a shortcoming. I think the show is going to be very competitive and as a matter of fact, Elvis said he is going to beat me and Tunky [Alfredo Allen], said he is going to beat me,” he said.
Ollyn, who has won the top prize on a few occasions, said he expects to compete in probably his best shape ever as he makes a stern push for not only national supremacy but also to dominate at September’s CAC Championships in Mexico.
“Whether they are competing or not doesn’t change anything for me. My goal is always to be better than I was last year because you always have to keep your eyes on the prize and my prize is the big guys overseas so if I let down my guard here then obviously I won’t be ready for overseas, so for this nationals, I have to be as good as I was last year but my aim is to actually be better,” he said.
The championship is slated for June 23 at the Multipurpose & Exhibition Cultural Centre in Perry Bay where 42 athletes will compete across a number of divisions in both male and female categories.
Newly-elected president of the bodybuilding federation, Dave George, described as a task, the planning of his first championships, but credited his team for getting the job done.
“I have at my disposal, a hard working executive and since we were elected back in January we have hit the ground running and so it has been quite challenging because as we have been saying all along, the nationals have been pushed up by two months,” he said.
“Traditionally it’s in August and this year it’s in June to facilitate the CAC Championships which will be held in Mexico City in July and that show is normally in September so we’ve had some challenges in terms of hitting the ground running and putting things together,” the bodybuilding boss added.
The men’s physique category is the largest for this year’s competition with a total of 15 competitors followed by the men’s bodybuilding with 10 competitors. Six athletes will compete in bikini fitness while both classic bodybuilding and bikini wellness will house four competitors each. Bodyfitness will house two competitors while there will be one athlete each in bodybuilding masters and bikini masters.

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