For the second time in two days, reigning Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler defeated eight-time Mr. O Ronnie Coleman. Both men were slightly sharper Saturday evening in Timisoara at the Romanian Grand Prix, and Big Ron got the small crowd behind him at the end, as they chanted “Ronn-ie!” His back and middle were too soft to regain the top position this time, but, if he continues to sharpen and Cutler doesn’t, tomorrow could be his day. The surprise of the show and one of the biggest jaw-droppers of the year was Sergey Shelstov. Despite his mud-bath of Dream Tan, he has most everything but clavicle width. His wheels are especially impressive, and they held their own in side-by-side comparisons against the two Mr. O’s. Easily the best Russian in this year’s Euro Tour (Fedorov was a fat 10th last night), Sergey is now 2007 Olympia-bound after only one pro contest. Just missing an O invite was the hardest competitor in the contest, “Nice Guy” Eddie Abbew. He’ll have a final chance (for this year) tomorrow. Rounding out the top five of an otherwise weak lineup was Italy’s 26-year-old Danielle Seccarecci, who, with two trips to posedowns in his first three pro shows, is, like Shelstov, having a remarkable rookie year. Watch out for him on American stages (and magazine covers) next year.
Tomorrow (ridiculously early again) Team FLEX, Coleman, Cutler and company fly to The Netherlands for the anything-goes-party known as the Amsterdam Grand Prix. It’s a fitting conclusion to the 2006 IFBB pro schedule. Will Ronnie end the year on a high note or will Jay continue his remarkable run? Will there be another Sergey-sized surprise? We’re certain one more competitor will qualify for the O-but who will it be? Of course, FLEXOnline will be there for the exclusive behind-the-scenes and front-row-center coverage that only we provide. And for the full story (soap opera, slapstick comedy, and crime thriller), with events, quotes and emotions too explosive for this space you won’t want to miss my complete Euro Tour diary in a future issue of FLEX. For now, we’re off to Amsterdam for rematch No. 3 and guaranteed madness in the world’s ultimate Sin City!
IFBB ROMANIAN GRAND PRIX FINAL RESULTS
1. Jay Cutler 2. Ronnie Coleman 3. Sergey Shelstov 4. Eddie Abbew 5. Danielle Seccarecci 6. Yamagishi Hidetada 7. Thomas Bengali 8. Ricky Welling 9. Migger Milazzo 10. Nicolae Gurgi 11. Cristian Mihailescu 12. Zoran Vejic
