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After losing her Ms. Olympia crown to Yaxeni Oriquen Garcia last October, Iris Kyle turned the tables and stormed to a straight firsts victory at the 2006 Ms. International. She undoubtedly lost the Ms. O title because of the harsh shredded look she displayed at that outing, but this time around (seemingly mindful of the IFBB’s 2004 ruling on reducing extreme muscularity) Kyle offered a slightly streamlined look, while maintaining her crispness and rock hard condition.
Oriquen-Garcia was slightly off and that allowed Dayana Cadeau to slip into second place. Jitka Harazimova – she of the God-given bone structure – would have been more competitive if she had been sharper.
In almost a carbon copy of the Ms. International (vis-a-vis Iris Kyle and Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia) Adela Garcia, who lost her Fitness Olympia title to Jennifer Hendershott last October, gained revenge by taking the 2006 Fitness International, while Hendershott found herself third. The always consistent Tracy Greenwood took fourth, with Julie Childs fifth.
One competitor’s falter was another one’s fortune, as Mary Elizabeth Lado took her first Figure International title Friday night in Columbus, Ohio. Reigning three-time champion and odds-on favorite Jenny Lynn fell violently ill hours before prejudging, and under doctor’s orders had to withdraw due to dehydration. (Obvious disappointment aside, Lynn is feeling better as of tonight and should make a full recovery soon.)
Lado charged through the door left open by Lynn’s absence, edging out perennial runner-up Monica Brant-Peckham by eight points. Third was Amanda Savell of Texas, followed by Chastity Slone in fourth, Brooklyn’s Jane Awad in fifth, and Christine Pomponio-Pate in sixth.
A statuesque 5’7″ beauty from Louisiana, Lado won the Pittsburgh and California Pro Figure shows in 2005. While her victory doesn’t rank as an outright upset, it was certainly a surprise. Meanwhile, Brant-Peckham, a former Fitness Olympia champion in 1998 who has now been second at every Figure International since its inception in 2003, is left to wonder if she’ll ever earn a much-deserved figure title to complete her stellar career.
Among the rest of the lineup, a couple notables were Valerie Waugaman, who was in eighth this time around but has plenty of future potential, and Elaine Goodlad, who at 41 is one of the most beautiful competitors in the sport. All in all, it was an interesting evening, and sets the table for a potential showdown at the Figure Olympia between Lado, Lynn and reigning O champ Davana Medina.
Figure International Final Results 1) Mary Elizabeth Lado 2) Monica Brant-Peckham 3) Amanda Savell 4) Chastity Slone 5) Jane Awad 6) Christine Pomponio-Pate 7) Latisha Wilder 8) Valerie Waugaman 9) Monica Guerra 10) Elaine Goodlad 11) Danielle Hollenshade 12) Gina Camacho 13) Nina Luchka 14) Deborah Leung 15) Michelle Flake 16) Tammy Pies 17) Ali Metkovich 18) Anna Larsson and Zhanna Rotar (tied)
