The experienced Jeffrey Gay captured the Mr Schoolboy title and Shaniqua Allamby exuded charm and confidence to take the Miss Body Fitness crown when the National Sports Council’s Tiger Malt Championships climaxed at the Lester Vaughan Secondary School Friday night.
Gay, a student of the University of the West Indies (UWI), who recently returned from the International Natural Bodybuilding Championship in New Jersey where he placed fourth, held off a serious challenge from Shaquile Lavine, of the Metropolitan High School.
Gay, who also won Most Muscular and Best Poser, was just as emotional when he won as when he had lost in previous years.
While Lavine was obviously weaker in posing, he matched and outclassed Gay in some areas. Most noticeable was the greater build which Lavine carried below the knees.
It was a night of records, with 98 competitors taking to the stage with first-time representation from girls of Asian descent.
The Miss Body Fitness was not as hot as in previous years with Allamby taking the first crown for Lester Vaughan, while late entrant Angel Boyce, of Combermere, brought tremendous leanness to knock a disappointing Rashida Gill, of the Lodge School, into third. Allamby is the sister of four-time junior boys bodybuilding champion Keiza Goodman-Hinds, of George Lamming Primary.
While Goodman-Hinds had the body and the poses, Rhem Flemming, of Bay Primary, showed that he was a threat in taking second and blocking Ellerton’s Juriah Belle, a son of former Mr Bridgetown, Stevenson Belle.
Another bodybuilding offspring, Edon Springer, of St Cyprian’s Boys, son of Clavis Springer, was pure class in taking the tiny tot (6-8 age-group), leaving a confident Joshua Bignall, of Wilkie Cumberbatch, second and Kobe Wilson, of St Paul’s Primary, third.
Multi-talented Mary Fraser, of St George Secondary, won another national title, the upper junior girls bodybuilding for the 12-15 division in the same year that she captured crowns in cross country running and boxing.
Laila Chin represented Bay Primary well to place second in the body fitness for 9-11s, and fourth in the junior bodybuilding division. The charm of the likes of Franeeza Beresford, Charice Taylor, Jada Price and Latisha Corbin added to the occasion.
A superb display from Darcy Beckles Invitational and CAC champion, Martinus Durrant thrilled the crowd, while the performances from upper junior girls body fitness 12-15 competitors, Sankara Price, of Alexandra, and Dominique Yorke, of Christ Church Foundation, would have created pangs of envy among the less robust spectators.
