Add the Mr. Guyana title to Kerwin ‘Chisel’ Clarke’s bulging resume.
The 2011 National Novices Champion and last year’s Hugh Ross Classic (HRC) winner is the new Mr. Guyana after using his sharp physique
to slice through the stiff competition on Saturday night at the National Senior Bodybuilding Championships hosted at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Last year’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) bronze medallist dazzled the large, vocal crowd at the venue when he displayed his rippling abdominals, well-defined quadriceps and sculpted arms in his free posing routines and compulsory poses.
After posing and flexing his way to the light middleweight title earlier in the night, the chiselled 25-year old returned to the stage to carve out yet another award winning display to earn the title of Guyana’s premier bodybuilding event.
In the pose down of category winners which included 2010 National Novices Champion Godfrey Stoby and defending Mr. Guyana and last year’s CAC gold medalist, Devon Davis, Clarke’s physique stood above all as he displayed superior symmetry, muscularity and vascularity, the three main aspects of a bodybuilder that the judges looked for.
Clarke, a heavy crowd favourite, gained the judges nod for the top position after executing the seven compulsory poses (Front Double Biceps, Front Lat Spread, Side Chest, Back Double Biceps, Back Lat Spread, Side Triceps & Abdominals and thighs) which fully portrayed his sculpted physique.
Davis emerged first runner up.
Before taking the top overall honours, Clarke who bulked up from welterweight, took the spoils in the light middleweight category (166lbs-176lbs)ahead of Shermon Haynes of Windero Gym in Berbice, Delon Harlequin of Interline Fitness Gym and Haynes’ gym mate Sean Sooklall respectively.
Davis, last year’s HRC bantamweight (under 143 lbs) category winner, of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Gym, once again took home the winning spoils for that category. Davis out-posed and out-flexed Travis Peters of Total Fitness Gym and Raymond Rabindranauth (Windero Gym) respectively.
The lightweight category (144lbs-154lbs) which attracted five competitors, turned out to be the most competitive category as the judges requested two separate comparisons before arriving at the top performers.
When the comparisons were over, Alston Lancaster of Windero walked away with the first prize ahead of former CAC silver medallist, Marlon Bennet of Xtreme Fitness Gym and Rawle Cole of Buddy’s Gym.
Also, before the pose down of champions, Stoby from Tower Gym easily secured the welterweight (144lbs-154lbs) crown ahead of lone rival Ronaire Caesar from Buddy’s.
In the heavyweight division (above 176 lbs) which attracted the most competitors (nine) reigning National Novices champion, Dwayne Mars (Windero Gym)copped the first place trophy ahead of the vastly improved Owen Jordan of Fitness Paradise Gym and Andel Cameron.
Legendary bodybuilder of the Universal Barbell Gym in Linden, Lindie Sharpe placed fourth.
Sharpe however won the Masters (over 40 years) category. The 55-year old defeated Sooklall, Alfred London and 64-year old Noel Cummings.
Windero’s Abdool Shaheer (under 21) and Total Fitness’ Kevin Bob-Semple (flyweight/under 132) were also in the winners row.
Track and Field sprint queen, Alisha Fortune from the GDF Gym left her running suit and spikes at home and donned her swimsuit and took home the Ms. Guyana title. Fortune’s well-toned physique was superior to Candy Lynch’s of Windero.
The night’s entertainment however reached its climax when guest poser, IFBB professional Andrew Jemmott stormed the stage with fellow guest poser, four year old Francis Culpepper.
The 6-foot 1 inch, 265-pound mass of striated muscle wearing green briefs and the brave child danced and posed to loud satisfactory cheers by the ladies, the pair was only whetting their appetites.
Jemmott and Culpepper entered the crowd and were up close and personal to the now standing audience and some females used the opportunity to touch Jemmott’s massive frame and take pictures with last year’s Mr. Olympia Master’s sixth place finisher.
The top finishers in each category benefited from supplement hampers, compliments of Fitness Express.
Major contributions were also made by Courts, Clairans, G3 Gym, Giftland Office Max, GTM, Hand in Hand, Subs and Salads, the Trophy Stall, WindJammer International Hotel and others.
Jemmott and his manager were accommodated by WindJammer.
Executives of the Guyana Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (GABBFF) who dubbed the event ‘Bodies of Steel’ declared that it was a success and thanked the sponsors for their support.
