Weight limit for the class to increase to 212 pounds in November
May 10, 2011
FLEXONLINE.COM
The 202 Pound Class will have an entirely new look in November – so much of a new look, in fact, that the weight limit will no longer be 202 pounds. The IFBB Pro League announced today that, starting with the Sacramento Pro this November, the class weight limit will increase to 212 pounds.
The decision comes after months of deliberation and after numerous competitors – including 2010 Europa Show of Champions 202 winner Eduardo Correa and 2010 Europa Super Show 202 winner Seth Feroce – announced their intentions to move up in weight to compete in the open division this year. Others, like two-time 202 Showdown champ Kevin English, have also considered making the move to the open division.
Moving the weight limit up to 212 pounds gives these and other top competitors reason to continue to compete in the division. It also opens up the possibility of some of the lighter open division competitors – such as Hidetada Yamagishi – to compete in the 212 division at some point in the future.
The move is in some ways a return to the roots of the lighter weight class. Absent for years – since Frank Zane won the lightweight division and overall at the 1979 Mr. Olympia – the IFBB Pro League brought the lighter division back in 2008 with a 210-pound class at the Europa Super Show. The 210-pound class lasted only one contest, as the weight limit was lowered to 202 pounds in 2009. The weight limit will remain at 202 pounds through the 202 Showdown at this year’s Olympia.
