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WABBA International Mr & Ms Universe 2015 Review

Dateline December 5th 2015: Place Pabellon De Deportes Santiago Martin, Tenerife.

Well the inaugural WABBA International Mr & Ms Universe is a done deal and what a contest it was.
New standards were set, new countries were represented and new pro cards were awarded. Here goes
the full review, category by category.

Bodybuilding Juniors:
This was a tight category with several names being favoured initially. In a tough fought category the
Gold was eventually awarded to Lazlo Kiraly of Hungary, closely followed by Jamie Do Rego of the UK,
taking Silver, with Tallel Benslimane of France snapping at his heels to take the Bronze.

Bodybuilding Supermasters
Supermasters followed. The standard here was excellent, with a number of the athletes being more
than capable of holding their own in any open category. Deservedly the gold was awarded to the
phenomenal Mikhail Bryukhanov, representing Finland. Silver was taken by Georgios Aichmalotidis of
Greece, with the Bronze being awarded to Christopher Penney of Spain. Despite being eligible for a
Pro Card, Mikhail chose to turn it down, stating he would prefer to remain as an amateur and return to
attempt to claim a World championship and the Universe again before turning Pro.

Bodybuilding Masters
Master followed. Once again the standard here was exceptional with many of the competitors being
more than capable of competing in any open class. Zoltan Kormos of Hungary took Gold with a strong
showing of aesthetics and conditioning. Luke Nichols of the UK showed strong enough form to ensure a
tight Silver with Michal Pucek of Slovakia clearly grabbing the Bronze.

Ms Figure Toned
On to the first ladies category, Ms Figure Toned. Historically this has always been a hard fought
category with immensely strong representation and here it was no different. Hanna Synelnykova, of
Ukraine, made a welcome return to the WABBA stage showing fabulous form and condition and firmly
taking the Gold. Spain was well represented by the excellent Maria Mesa Reyes who's overall
aesthetics and condition were enough to take Silver beating off a tough challenge from Lesley Rothera
of the UK, taking Bronze, who'd decided to make the change from the Trained category to compete in
Toned. Honourable mention should go to Lisa Gilbey of Spain who tied for Bronze but was beaten in
overall scoring.

Bodybuilding Short
The first open category, Short. A surprisingly low number of entrants this year, nonetheless all were of
high calibre. Gold was taken by Angel Calderon of Spain, though Ionnis Alimpertis of Greece pushed
him hard, being awarded Silver, himself being forcefully chased by Alessio Mantovani who took Bronze
for Italy.

Body Fitness -175cm
Mens Body Fitness under 175cm is always stacked with talent and here was no change to the norm. A
large number of contestants were vying for the Universe crown but in the end, when the dust had
settled the French entrant, Naim Barhoumi, was the victor snatching Gold. Italy took Silver, represented
by Enzo Nardino and Spains Christian Ciuca being awarded Bronze.

Ms Figure Trained
The Figure Trained category had some amazing entrants at this years Universe. From Hungary was the
exceptional Judit Palecian, bringing her phenomenal conditioning and shape to the WABBA stage and
taking Gold. In the Silver spot was the 2015 WABBA International World Champion Ramona Bozzano
who once again brought her amazing acrobatic skill to her routine. Just edged into Bronze was the
fabulous Olga Permina, representing Finland, demonstrating wonderful aesthetics and showing poise
and style in her routine.

Bodybuilding Medium
The Medium category is, generally speaking, always a tough one. No surprises here it was the same.
Spain dominated though with their athletes Miguel Ramirez and David Alfonzo taking the Gold and
Bronze respectively. Miguel Ramirez was firmly entrenched in the gold with though he was hotly
contested by the impressive Lorenzo Brunetti of Italy who took a well earned Silver medal.

Body Fitness ´+175
Italy was strong here with Alessandro Marangi taking Gold and Daniele Zamparini taking the Silver.
Theodoros Kalmoukos from Cyprus gave an impressive showing beating off challenges from Italy,
Spain, Hungary and France to claim Bronze.

Ms Body-Physique
The Body-Physique category is one that has some hugely impressive entrants, here again Italy was
well represented and strong, Monica Bozicervic taking Gold and Ermina De Iulio pulling Silver.
Switzerland grabbed the Bronze in the form of Stephanie Perriard.

Bodybuilding Tall
On to the Bodybuilding Tall category. This one was expected to be hotly contested and was it ever!
Yann Esteso of France took Gold, though it was a hugely close affair with Konstantin Bryukhanov,
representing Finland, chasing him all the way, taking Silver. As an aside Mikhail Bryukhanov who took
Gold in the Supermasters is his father, making them, possibly, the only father and son combination to
compete in a Universe contest ever. Zoltan Schalli of Hungary gained a very respectable Bronze in
what was an immensely competitive category.

Men Model
Spain was heavily represented here, fielding no less than four entrants and taking Gold in the form of
Francisco Lopez and Bronze by Angel Gonzalez. Sandwiched in between was a very impressive
Antonio Macrillo from Italy with a very strong Silver placing.

Miss Bikini
The Bikini category is always a popular one and never fails to attract a large number of competitors. No
surprise that this was the case again here. Italy again showed it's very impressive array of talent, Ana
Tapu clearly taking the Gold, showing poise and just enough sleek musculature to hold the top spot.
The lovely Vivien Lengyel of Hungary took Silver and Jaqueline Henderson of Spain attained Bronze.

Bodybuilding X-Tall
To the extra tall category. France came in and swept the field with Albert Ngangue Ngangue attaining a
very impressive Gold, with a fabulous display of aesthetics and overall size. Eugenio Paniccia of italy
took the Silver and the irrepressible Alex McGee took Bronze displaying his excellent shape and
conditioning.

Mens Fitness
The Mens Fitness category was dominated by Italy and Spain, will all entrants coming from those two
countries. Itally won out taking both the Gold and Silver medals, Andrea Frascai and Gionata D`Alise
respectively with a positive showing from Dionisio Anton from Spain settling for Bronze.

Miss Model
The Miss Model is one of the newer categories, however the representation from all competitors here
was excellent. Morgan Jacobsen emphatically took the Gold here, showing excellent poise and style. In
hot pursuit was Luana Boscolo of Italy, taking Silver, closely followed by Rosella Bono, also of Italy
taking the Bronze.

Couple
There were only two entrants in the couple category here. However both were excellent, showing
fabulous, stylish and creative routines. In the end the pairing of Adams & Lancaster from the UK won
out, with Virgili & Sanchez taking the Silver. It must be stressed that both pairings were absolutely
excellent.

Pro Class
Finally to the Pro Class. With several new pro cards being awarded to various category winners this
was a packed stage. The talent on display was overwhelmingly amazing with some absolutely
sensational physiques. The posedowns created a real ripple of excitement among the crowd with the
volume of the cheering reaching new heights. When everything had subsided and the cards were
collated there was only one winner, the incredible Peter Molnar of Hungary. What can be said about this
athlete, he displays an almost unreal combination of proportion, symmetry and size, looking almost like
something from the pages of a comic book. A well deserved Gold was awarded to him. That said his
countryman Zoltan Kormos did himself proud to earn Silver in such a tough group and Angel Calderon
of Spain can be pleased with his well earned Bronze.

In conclusion and to summarise, was it a good contest? To that I have to say an emphatic no!! It

was a GREAT contest. New countries were represented, bringing some of their top talent, new pro
cards were attained, new friendships were made and old ones renewed. Everything was superbly
well organised, from the hotel, to the venue, to the transport to and from. The hotel selected, was, as
ever with WABBA International, first rate once again putting the consideration of the athletes first
and ensuring that everything required was on hand.
Mention must also be given to Team Finland and it's first representation at a WABBA International
event. Firstly three medals were attained, a Gold, a Silver and a Bronze in some of the toughest
categories. Secondly our president, Marie Silmäri was given official recognition as President of
WABBA International Finland and took her place on the World Congress, immediately making her
mark as one of the most progressive and forward thinking representatives, ensuring that all due care
and consideration is given both to the sport and most importantly to those who make the sport, the
athletes.
Lastly and from a personal perspective, while it was at times exhausting, I have to say it was a
whole lot of fun and the next event cannot come too soon

Matt Hyland

Excelsior