Masters Olympia 2023 - What did the renewed veterans competition (Day 1) bring ? Results and report

The busy bodybuilding season is slowly but surely approaching the expected Olympia. This weekend, however, the eager among you can at least enjoy the relaunched Mr. Olympia Masters category competition, which has returned to the scene after an eleven-year hiatus and brought with it a number of specifics. Competitors could not qualify for this contest, but received official invitations, prize money has increased to nearly a quarter of a million US dollars, and the winner of each of the ten categories will have the opportunity to compete against regular Jim Manion IFBB league athletes at the November Olympia in Las Vegas. Join us for a look at what the first day of the Veterans Olympia in Cluj, Romania brought.

Who's worth watching?

There were a number of interesting names dropping in the pre-contest predictions this time around that were expected to appear at the Olympia. Probably the biggest expectation was raised by former Mr. Olympia under 212lbs champion Kamal Ergargni, but he could easily compete with the almost 50 year old Phil Clahar who qualified for this year's Mr. Olympia. The support from the crowd would then undoubtedly be given to the fifty-eight year old Rusty Jeffers with his iconic moustache and the performance of Maxx Charles, the athlete who received his professional card in 2009, was also awaited with anticipation. It was good news for Czech fans that Slavoj Bednar was invited to the Veterans' Olympia in the men's bodybuilding event and that Věra Mikulcová got a chance to compete for a medal in the women's bodybuilding event.

Physique of women

Women's Physique was one of the most crowded categories of the whole competition, because 20 competitors from all over the world were invited to start. In the end, only 17 of them announced their intention to compete, and among the frequently mentioned candidates for victory was Ivie Rhein, who had already won her qualifying ticket for Mr. Olympia at the recent Texas PRO 2023 and did not have to leave everything on the boards at any cost.

Still, she showed fantastic form and managed to win the gold in the end even in a packed competition. Although she may not be too interested in qualifying for the Mrs. Olympia, part of the prize money of $10,000 is part of her victory, which she will definitely appreciate in preparation for the Olympia in November.

Second place went to Brazilian competitor Caroline Alves Dos Santos, but she is already qualified for Mrs. Olympia thanks to her win at Mr. Big Evolution PRO. The third place was taken by the American competitor Heather Grace, the fourth by Joanna Romano from Spain and the fifth by Susan Graham from the USA.

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Women's Bodybuilding

As far as women's bodybuilding is concerned, 17 competitors were originally invited and among them was the famous Czech representative Věra Mikulcová. Among the favourites of the competition, however, were Donna Salib, who won the New York PRO last year, and Leah Dennie, who won the competition a year earlier. And with each of these competitors dominating a different body part, it was clear that they could have an interesting battle for the win.

But in the end, the well-prepared Reshanna Boswell, who started her career in the Women's Physique category, stepped in. However, she has been riding a winning streak since her move to the classic female bodybuilders, and her legs are the real dominating feature of her entire physique. This time, she was in sensational form and rightfully won the Women's Bodybuilding category.

The second place was rightfully won by Barbara De Freitas, who also showed great form and despite the fact that she usually does not even get a top five position in competitions with younger competitors, this time she came really well prepared and deserved the silver. Virginia Sanchez finished third, Donna Salib took fourth and Silvia Matta rounded out the top five this time.

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Classic Physique

The starting list of the Classic Physique category consisted of 18 competitors, with the largest team coming from the United States with 9 competitors. One of the hot favourites for the victory was Alejandro Cambronero, who already won bronze at the prestigious Arnold Classic this season. In the end, the pre-competition predictions were clearly confirmed and this American competitor did not give his rivals the slightest chance. He easily qualified for the Olympia in November and showed a form that was a joy to watch.

Second place went to Kevin Hinde, who improved one position from his last appearance at the Tupelo PRO last week. Bronze went to Ross Ceasar, who last season took 16th place at Europa PRO and Wings of Strength PRO Romania Musclefest. Fourth place went to Luis García and fifth place to Tom Connelly.

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Wellness

The starting list of the wellness category also included 17 athletes, but due to lack of age, none of the athletes who succeeded at last year's Olympia and who still belong to the current top. However, it was all the better that lesser known athletes were given the opportunity to show off at these races, many of whom showed themselves in really top form.

The first place was finally awarded to Brazilian athlete Nerilde Garcia Strey, who this year, for example, showed off her skills at the Musclecontest Rio Pro in front of her home crowd. This time she showed great form and rightfully earned qualification for the Olympia in November along with a 10,000 prize money.

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Bodybuilding up to 212 pounds

The bodybuilding up to 212 pounds offered the presentation of a total of 16 competitors, of which the biggest attraction was probably the icon of Japanese bodybuilding and undoubtedly one of the most successful competitors from this country, multiple Mr. Olympia participant Hidetada Yamagishi. Despite the fact that Hidetada recently turned 50, he showed fantastic form and although he probably wouldn't have done any dizzying results in the professional division, his musculature and posing are still a joy to behold.

From the very beginning of the competition, this competitor was rivalled in particular by Anwar Albalushi and Ahmed Fawzi, participants of last year's Olympia, with the addition of David Henry. Although all of these competitors have definitely been seen more over the last few years, Hidetada has finally perfected his form. Indeed, after announcing a big comeback, at least from some of his social media posts, it might have looked more like a desperate attempt at a comeback, but one that would end in failure. However, as the deadline for the competition approached, his form began to improve and he delivered exactly what the judges wanted to see on the boards.

In the end, it was this Japanese veteran who qualified for November's Mr. Olympia and although few would have thought it just a few months ago, the legendary competitor will make (at least) one more start on the Olympia boards. And now we're curious to see how he'll fare compared to fighters a generation younger.

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