Novi Sad, Serbia, October 16th: The IFBB staged its 29th annual IFBB World Amateur Championships with nearly 150 contestants from 34 countries taking part in the big event. And for the third consecutive year Russia piled up a winning point total to earn the team championship in impressive fashion. Taking home four individual gold medals in the various divisions, the Russian team sealed their victory with a supporting cast of competitors who also made strong showings in bodybuilding, fitness, bodyfitness and bikini divisions.
In the bodybuilding category which was contested in two divisions (under and over 55 kilos – 121 pounds), Slovakia's Jana Purdjakova was the star of the show. The defending overall women's champion from last year, Purdjakova once again prevailed with a convincing victory in the lightweight class and a unanimous triumph in the posedown for the overall.
At the international level, Purdjakova has reached a level of superstardom with her accomplishments. Competing in her 13th World Amateur Championship dating back to 1997, she has won eight World titles – the last two of which have been of the overall variety. Purjakova was a middleweight class winner in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, and took the lightweight class in 2008. In 2010 and this year she was the lightweight and overall winner. In the history of this contest dating back to 1983, no one has come close to her level of success. Fans have been known to call her 'Little Lenda'. At 5-4 ¼, and always competing between 120 and 125 ½ pounds throughout her long amateur career, Purdjakova has not always been the most muscular contestant in winning her weight class, but it has been a pleasing combination of her overall structural balance and endearing stage persona has helped push her to the top on so many occasions. Competitively, she has been satisfied to retain her amateur status, and with her level of success, who can blame her.
Running second to Purdjakova in the lightweight division was Russian veteran competitor Ludmila Tuboltseva. With many years of experience on the World Amateur bodybuilding stage, the 5-2 ¼ dynamo from Moscow is very familiar with her placement this year. Interestingly, she was the silver medalist at the 2004 World Amateur event as a middleweight finishing second to none other than Jana Purdjakova. Tuboltseva enjoys a strong fan following due in part to her pleasing muscular lines and shapely overall physique.
Finishing third and winning the bronze medal was Germany's Carla Marquardt. A former track & field athlete, the 31-year-old Marquardt also used an even level of development throughout her physique to place among the medalists.
Fourth was Renata Richterova of the Czech Republic. Just two points behind Marquardt, Richterova's finish here had to be far more satisfying than her non-placing effort at the 2009 IFBB European Championships in the Bodyfitness class where she was presumably judged as being too muscular. Here, she fit in nicely, and scored points for the Czech team.
Fifth was American Patricia Watson. Competing for a decade in the United States, Watson was a lightweight winner at the 2009 NPC Jr. USA. In two trips to the NPC Nationals she finished 11th in 2009 and 7th in 2010. The 2011 competitive season could be best described as 'topsy turvy' for Watson having tied for 16th in the new Physique division at the NPC Jr. USA, then winning the lightweight class at the NPC Team Universe to qualify for the World Amateurs. Further, Watson's fifth-place finish is the first 'point-scoring' American placement at the Worlds since 2006 when Tracie Tucker and Stephanie Kessler scored fourth place finishes in their respective weight classes. The last American to win a medal of any color at the World Amateurs was Colette Nelson in 2004 when she won gold for both the heavyweight and overall World titles. Watson, along with Pam Wentz were the lone American entries at this contest.
Japan's Naoko Imamura was the final placer in the six-contestant lightweight field.
The Heavyweights
With a field of 11 contestants in the heavyweight class, the competition was far more fierce among the top six placers. Emerging as champion in this division was Germany's Nina Loebardt, who capped a 2011 competitive season about as successfully as one could hope for. First she won the overall German National title, followed by another overall win at the IFBB European Championships. Then more recently she added a third-place finish at the inaugural Arnold Classic Europe in Spain. Her victory here puts the exclamation mark on a very notable effort over four tough contests. To seal the win, Loebardt used an impressive pair of biceps, and a game-breaking side chest pose to take enough attention away from the rest of her challengers. Her victory was a seven-point margin over fast-rising runner-up Arja Moilanen of Finland.
An impressive newcomer to the World Amateur stage, Moilanen had several observers favorably comparing her to IFBB pro Nicole Ball. Showing a well-balanced 5-4 1/2 structure, the 'fabulous Finn' showed excellent conditioning and striking stage presence. A winner of the 2007 Finnish National Championships, and a runner-up at the 2009 Oslo Grand Prix, Moilanen finished fourth at the 2009 IFBB European Championships in her first major international outing. Most significant with regard to this year's World Amateur effort was the fact that she defeated Germany's Simone Linay and Russian Natalia Vtyurina – the top two finishers at that 2009 European Championships where Moilanen was fourth. She will bear watching in the immediate future as her physique continues to cultivate.
Third went to Germany's Simone Linay. No stranger to this level of international competition, Linay has competed in five previous World Amateur Championships with a heavyweight victory in 2009, second in 2010, and third in both 2003 and 2007. Her third-place finish here, gives Linay a trio of bronze medals in her entries at this contest.
The fourth place position went to England's Lisa Cross. Powerfully muscled at 5-6, Cross was the 2010 British champion and is quickly reaching a very respectable level on the international competitive scene. Her fourth-place finish here matches well with the fourth-place position she earned at the Arnold Classic Europe event just weeks earlier.
Poland's Katarzyna Wos claimed the fifth spot just two points off Cross's final total. In fact, places three through six were very close with Linay at 57, Cross at 61, Wos at 63, and Russian Natalia Vtyurina totaling 65. It was one of the closest competitions in World Amateur annuls.
American Pam Wentz faced a daunting task in this class where a majority of the contestants were considerably heavier and more muscular than the Ohio native. Wentz, who placed eighth at the 2009 World Amateurs settled for 10th in this field.
Other Divisions
In the Fitness competition Hungary's Melinda Szabo won the 'up to 5-4 ¼' class, while Ukraine's Alevtyna Titarenko topped the 'over 5-4 ¼' class. Titarenko was a unanimous choice for the overall World Amateur Fitness crown.
The Russians almost made it a clean sweep of the four Bodyfitness classes with Elina Gook winning the 'up to 5-2 ¼' group. Ekaterina Gamagina was a unanimous winner in the 'up to 5-6' class, and countrymate Yulia Ushakova added another victory to the Russian total in the 'over 5-6' group. The loan non-Russian winner was Croatia's Zrinka Fiser taking the 'up to 5-4 ¼' field. Ushakova won the overall World Amateur Bodyfitness title for 2011.
The inaugural World Amateur Championship Bikini title came down to a 'posedown' between short class winner Oksana Markovetskaya from Russia, and Slovakia's Nikola Weiterova - the winner of the tall class. Both have the distinction of becoming the first bikini class winners at the Worlds, but it was a unanimous decision of the judges who selected Russia's Oksana Markovetskaya as the overall Bikini champion.
It was noted that these results are not finalized until all drug testing has been completed.
Subscribe to RxMuscle on Youtube
