Adela Garcia goes for her third Fitness International crown
February 26, 2010
By Dave Lee
FLEXONLINE.COM
Competition will be high, as in high flying, when the world’s best fitness athletes tumble, flip and quarter turn their way to center stage at the 2010 Fitness International on March 5 in Columbus, Ohio. One of the early favorites is two-time winner and crowd favorite Adela Garcia.
After earning her pro card with a short class and overall victory at the 1999 NPC USA Fitness Championships, Garcia [then Friedmansky], first stepped on the Fitness International stage in ’00. Though she placed eighth, Garcia improved to third (’01), fourth (’02) and second (’03) before finally tasting victory in ’04 and again in ’06.
Forced to sit out ’08 and most of ’09 with a torn ACL in her left knee, Garcia returned to competition late in the ’09 season without skipping a beat, winning the Europa Super Show and her fourth Fitness Olympia (’04, ’06-’07) in convincing fashion. A Garcia victory on March 5 will move her ahead of fellow Fitness International two-timers Jen Hendershott (’05, ’09) and Kim Klein (’07-’08) and place her one step closer to tying the all-time record of four wins, held by Susie Curry (’98-’99, ’02-’03).
Among the competitors sure to give Garcia a run for her money in Columbus are Julie Palmer and Tanji Johnson. Palmer, hot off a victory at the Phoenix Pro last week, is looking to move up from her runner-up placing at last year’s Fitness International. Johnson, who placed 11th here last year, closed out ’09 with a career-reviving runner-up finish to Garcia at the Fitness Olympia before placing second in Phoenix.
