STEVENSON BELLE says he is bigger and better and will be tough to dethrone this weekend at the national bodybuilding and fitness championships slated for the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
The rugged Coast Guard officer has had four stellar seasons on the domestic and regional front and says he would love nothing better than to win his third Mr Barbados title this Saturday.
“I have added size and still have quality muscle. I honestly don’t think that there is anyone that can defeat me at the nationals this weekend. I am going to be very hard to beat.
“Since I did the Sportworld Classic in Trinidad and Tobago a few weeks ago, there has been some improvement. I am going to be fuller with razor-sharp condition form head to toe,” he said.
The 5ft, 8in Belle, told MIDWEEK SPORT he plans to rock the stage with 206 pounds of muscle.
“I am sure this is going to be another successful title defence. Anything less will be a disappointment. If I bring home the bacon, it will be the sweetest because it will be the third. I always wanted to win Mr Barbados at least three times and I am almost there,” he said.
Belle, 33, winner of Mr Barbados 2011 and Mr Barbados 2013, has been training at Pro Star Fitness in Coverly, Christ Church, under the guidance of pro athlete Nicole Carter and veteran trainer Aereal “Tiger” Johnson.
As always, Belle’s sternest test should come from the experienced Hoskyn Worrell, who defeated him the last time the two clashed, at the Darcy Beckles Invitational Classic last November.
Worrell, 49, a multiple divisional winner at the Central American And Caribbbean (CAC) Championships, has left no stone unturned at the Fitness Zone in Hastings, Christ Church, where he has been training six times a week, twice a day.
This is bound to be another titanic duel with Worrell, the 2008 Mr Barbados winner, vowing to be sharp and ready.
“I am in good condition. The rest is left to the judges but I am going to bring a good package,” he said.
Worrell would love another overall crown.
He was nosed out by Belle last year while almost all and sundry felt he was unlucky in 2012 to lose the final posedown to Ramon Broomes.
“I have made some improvements to my shoulders and I will be fuller. I am going to bring a quality balanced physique,” said Worrell, who will pound the stage with 176 pounds of muscle.
This is not going to be a two-man show by any means. Dorell Coulthrust, the imposing 43-year-old personal trainer from Shermans, St Peter, has reportedly packed on some beef and could hit the stage with 220 pounds of muscle.
Coulthrust, who announced himself in the 2012 season with a stunning capture of Mr Bridgetown, has huge shoulders and arms and will make his presence felt. He could be the biggest man on stage and will go toe-to-toe with Belle in the heavyweight division.
He will carry the flag for the St Peter-based Superior Fitness Gym.
Much is expected of Dave Archer, who was a solid fourth in the open contest at the Darcy Beckles Classic. His training sessions at Dane Rovers Gym have been supervised by the former Barbados and Caribbean heavyweight champion Roger “The Black Prince” Sealy, who has promised that the 28-year-old Archer will give a good acocunt of himself.
The nationals will be used as a guide to select the Barbados contingent for the 42nd CAC Championships set for St Maarten for October 2-4.
