By Neto Baptiste
IFBB Bikini Fitness pro and a member of the Antigua and Barbuda Amateur Bodybuilding & Weightlifting Federation, Ambassador Kimberly Percival, believes that more athletes could have qualified for this weekend’s Arnold Classic had it not been for unavoidable and or unforeseen circumstances.
Percival, who heads the country’s seven-member team to the IFBB World Championships event this Saturday in Seville, Spain, said many athletes were hampered by varying factors in their bid to qualify for the Classic.
“I don’t think we had a specific target in mind. We knew coming into this year that a lot more pros were going to compete, and everybody did not have the opportunity to bounce back from Covid as quickly as others did, namely myself, Bernard Percival, Melissa and Michelle Seaforth, but I think having seen us go out and bring success for Antigua and Barbuda may have served as motivation, because we had a big amateur team and with that as well, we expected the pros to come and hit the ground running,” she said.
Percival, who captured the bikini segment of the Arnold Classic in 2021 to become world champion, is joined in the team by reigning bikini bronze medalist Michelle Seaforth, classic physique competitor Bernard Percival who finished sixth last year and bikini athlete Melissa Seaforth who finished just outside the top 10 also in 2021.
The other members of the team are Leanna Carrington (bikini), Kenroy Christian (men’s physique) and Romancia Jules (bikini).
Percival said those who qualified fought hard to make the grade.
“Antigua has been doing very well between St. Maarten and Barbados which is where the rest of the team would have earned their qualification based on their placing, existing persons who had already qualified on points, they were able to also, validly so, have an invitation to this event as well, so yes and no because we expected the team to be bigger because we expected people, especially our bodybuilders, both pros and amateurs, would have stepped up in 2022, and so said, so done,” she said.
Kimberly Percival will be aiming to win back to back titles at the Arnold Classic. The team departed Antigua for Spain on Wednesday.