IFBB Pro League men’s and women’s bodybuilding in the Big City
May 13, 2009
FLEXONLINE.COM
May in New York City can only mean two things: bodybuilders and bodybuilding’s most boisterous crowd getting together for another memorable evening when Steve Weinberger’s 2009 IFBB New York Pro, New York Pro Men’s 202 and under and New York Pro Women’s Bodybuilding Championships returns to the Tribecca Performing Arts Center at BMCC, New York.
NEW YORK PRO With defending champ Kai Greene electing to sit out this year, the frontrunners are 2009 Ironman Pro winner and 2009 Arnold Classic fifth place finisher Silvio Samuel, 2009 Arnold Classic seventh place finisher Dennis James and the always dangerous Darrem Charles, coming off a third place finish at the 2009 Europa Show of Champions.
Samuel is enjoying a spectacular year, showcasing his trademark conditioning along with some added size. James, sporting a more streamlined look compared to years past, placed second here in 2007 and is hungry to leapfrog into the winner’s circle. Charles, who has won a pro show every year since 2002, is looking to keep his streak alive.
Evan Centopani, the 2007 NPC Nationals super-heavyweight and overall champion will make his pro debut, having taken a full year off to make improvements to an already excellent physique. It will be interesting to see how he fares against the likes of this seasoned lineup.
Hidetada Yamagishi, who qualified for his second Mr. Olympia by taking fourth at the 2009 Ironman Pro and second at the Europa Show of Champions and Sergey Shelestov, coming off eighth and fourth at the ’09 Arnold Classic and Europa Show of Champions, respectively, are also in the mix. Perrenial New York crowd favorite Marcus Ruhl returns to competition after retiring in 2007.
MEN’S 202 AND UNDER CHAMPIONSHIPS Dave Henry and Kevin English will come out swinging for round three of their battle to determine who is the king of the 202-under class. English beat Henry here a year ago to notch his first professional win before Henry flipped the tables on English at the 2008 Olympia 202 Showdown. Added to this volatile mix is the winner of the first 202-under show of the 2009 season, the IFBB Pittsburgh Pro, Eduardo Correa.
WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008 New York Women’s champ Cathy LeFrancois returns to defend her title against a strong field of 28 competitors that includes Jeannie Paparone, Rosemary Jennings and Dena Westerfield, last year’s second, third and fourth place finishers.
WHAT: IFBB New York Pro Men’s and Women’s Bodybuilding and Men’s Under-202 Championships WHERE: Tribecca Performing Arts at BMCC, New York WHEN: Saturday, May 16 FOR MORE INFO:Click here
