1st, Dexter Jackson 2nd. Ronnie Rockel 3rd. Vince Taylor 4th. Martin Kjellstrom 5th. Hide Yamagishi 6th. Joel Stubbs 7th John Hodgson 8th Wong Hong 9th Luke Wood 10th Mossimo Villi 11th Neil Gardner
2007 Australian Pro Competitor List and Gallery Links
Dexter Jackson and Ronny Rockel finish one-two at the 2007 Australian Pro
“The Blade” Dexter Jackson proved to be a cut above his competition at the 2007 Australian Pro in Melbourne, Australia, edging out last year’s champion Ronny Rockel.
The 37-year-old Florida resident, fresh off a stinging loss of his Arnold Classic title the week before in Columbus, Ohio, eased some of the pain of coming in second to Victor Martinez in Columbus by collecting the Aussie hardware. Jackson’s 5’6″ 225-pound frame may not have been the biggest onstage, but his overall condition and quality proved to be too much as he cruised to the eighth win of his eight-year pro career.
Rockel, meanwhile, while he failed in his repeat bid, still earned a qualifying spot for this year’s Olympia, as did comeback king Vince Taylor, who was third in this show for the second year in a row – his 2006 appearance Down Under was the former five-time Masters Olympia champion’s first show since 2002. Since that last Aussie trip, Taylor has competed in the Olympia and in last week’s Arnold, proving he’s still got plenty left in the tank at 50 years of age.
Rounding out the top six was Sweden’s Martin Kjellstrom in fourth, Hidetada Yamagishi in fifth, and Joel Stubbs in sixth. Yamagishi and Stubbs were finishing out a busy early season, the former having done four shows in a row – the Ironman, Sacramento, Arnold and now Australia – while Stubbs had competed in the Ironman and Sacramento Pro before heading off to Melbourne. It’s been a breakout 2007 for the Japanese pro, as his third place in Sacramento got him an Olympia qualification and his vastly improved physique garnered him plenty of buzz among bodybuilding media and fans.
Next up on the pro circuit is the New York, Pennsylvania and Colorado shows in May and early June, where more O qualifying spots will be on the line as athletes vie for their shot to knock off reigning king of the mountain, Jay Cutler. Stay tuned to flexonline as we bring you the photos and reports from each of those shows and, in partnership with bodybuilding.com, live and free webcast coverage of the Colorado Pro on June 2.
