James Hollingshead qualified for the Olympia at the Italian Tsunami Cup!
Author: As the end of the year is approaching and with it the peak of the bodybuilding season in the form of Mr. Olympia, the competitions are becoming more and more packed with well-prepared competitors who want to either qualify directly, or gain valuable points, or in the case of those already qualified, primarily to show what form they are likely to be in at the most watched competition in the bodybuilding world, which will take place this year in mid-December. This weekend, however, there are two competitions at the same time - Legion Sports Fest PRO in Nevada and Tsunami Cup in Italy, for which several Czech competitors have chosen. How did they turn out?
The open category brought an interesting spectacle with a golden ending for James Hollingshead
At the outset it is worth saying that the Italian Tsunami Cup has a lower value in the qualification system for Mr. Olympia than the concurrent races overseas, so the competitors had to calculate well in advance which races they would compete in. And of the original lineup, the nearly 6'2" Jamie Christian-Johal finally changed his mind about his decision and appeared at the Legion Sports Fest PRO. In the end, none of the three riders who earned their pro cards this week took the opportunity to compete, leaving the start list at just nine riders. The starting field was therefore much narrower than at the concurrent race - yet there were two Czech competitors, Milan Šádek and Jan Turek.
From the first moment on stage, however, it was clear that this contest belonged to James Hollingshead, who also figured in the first semi-final call. He showed incredible form and despite the fact that a number of his opponents had put on some solid volume since last season, they were not at all up to the challenge. The first semi-final heat therefore featured Hollingshead, Marc Hector, who has already shown very good form at a number of races this year combined with a very aesthetic looking physique, Alfred Chiriac, who only moved up to the category from the "two hundred and twelve" last year, and German rider Enrico Hoffmann, who, like Chiriac, could look forward to his first points of the season.
Both Milan Šádek and Honza Turek appeared in the second call-up and it must be said that they both showed great form and the judges did not have it easy at all. The fact that they were on the fence is also evidenced by the fact that the middle place (usually designated for the best athlete from a given invitational) was exchanged between the two Czech athletes during the invitational. However, Milan Šádek ended up in the fifth place. This means for Milan, among other things, the first point in the qualification ranking and a cash prize of 1000 dollars.
Fourth place went to Enrico Hoffmann after free sets and a sit-down. Third place went to Marc Hector, who took silver at Yamamoto France a week ago, and second place went to the aforementioned Romanian pro Alfred Chiriac. First place, qualification for Mr. Olympia and last but not least the prize money of 10 000 dollars went to James Hollingshead.
The top five competitors can be seen once again below:
- James Hollingshead
- Alfred Chiriac
- Marc Hector
- Enrico Hoffmann
- Milan Šádek
Honza Turek commented on the race on social media as follows:
Unfortunately out of TOP5 but I think there is an improvement from last year. I'm disappointed with myself, but it motivates me to go harder and harder for my goal. Let's keep going- See you in 3 weeks at @evls_prague_pro_official
Men's Physique clearly dominated by Chao Peng
As for the other categories, the Tsunami Cup offered nowhere near the opportunities as the concurrent Legion Sports Fest PRO. While in Nevada the competitors had nine categories to choose from, in the case of the Italian competition, in addition to the pros in the open category, the men's physique and women's bikini showed up as well. But there was definitely something to watch. The men's physique category offered a very interesting spectacle, and the eyes of the Czech fans could be focused especially on the very well prepared Miroslav Juricek. Despite his really good preparation, his opponents did not underestimate anything and Miroslav had to settle for fifth place. The victory, qualification for Mr. Olympia and a cash prize of 3 500 dollars went to the very well prepared Chao Peng, who showed brutal form and great musculature, especially in the back and shoulders, which created a good contrast with his narrow waist.
The complete ranking of the Top 5 competitors in the men's physique category was as follows:
- Chao Peng
- Febo Gambacorta
- Omar Suleiman
- Abisai Pietersz
- Miroslav Juricek
The bikini category was dominated by Francesca Stoico
As for the bikini category, it was clearly dominated by Francesca Stoico, who was in perfect form and showed really massive shoulders, a wide back, well-developed thighs and good symmetry. Out of the nine Italians on the start list, she was the best. The interesting thing is that Francesca already has her qualification ticket for Mr. Olympia - she won the Fitparade Pro in 2021, which secured her qualification. So the Tsunami Cup could only be a kind of test for her to see if she will catch the Olympia - and obviously she won't lose. So, in addition to the medal, she could take home at least the $3,500 that goes with first place.
The complete ranking of the TOP 5 competitors:
- Francesca Stoico
- Stine Hansen
- Tatiana Lanovenko
- Anna Setlak
- Giuditta Taccani
Recommended
Nebbia Fitness šortky s vysokým pasem GLUTE PUMP 240
Nebbia NATURE-INSPIRED Squat-Proof dámské legíny 543
Nexgen 60 kapslí 2+1
No posts have been made yet.
