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FEMALE
BODYBUILDING
The
20% solution: 2005 Ms. International report
In yet another
attempt by judges and administrators to reach a consensus as to what
the ideal muscularly developed female should look like, the 20%
solution has been raised by the IFBB in 2005. It requires female
athletes in bodybuilding, fitness and figure to decrease the amount
of their muscularity by a factor of 20% for aesthetics and health
reasons.
What better event to inaugurate this newest edict than at the annual
Ms. International at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio,
where a women's bodybuilding field of 12 contestants marched forth
to compete on March 4 as part of the Arnold Fitness Weekend.
VENEZUELA'S ONE-TWO HEAVYWEIGHT PUNCH | All eyes were on the
heavyweight class to see just what the judges and administrators had
in mind with their proposed 20% solution.
Iris Kyle wasn't there to defend her 2004 Ms. International title,
so the judges were left with two-time Ms. International winner
Yaxeni Oriquen and an accompanying group of five heavyweight
competitors, each of whom hoped her version of 20% matched the
panel's vision.
By the end of round one, it was clear that the winner of this class
would be a Venezuelan--it was simply a matter of which one. Weighing
in at 174, Oriquen was the largest contestant. Tipping the scales at
162, fellow countrywoman Betty Viana was fully 12 pounds lighter
than Oriquen, but she had an awe-inspiring structure, outrageous
genetics and muscle shapes that no one else onstage possessed.
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Oriquen, on the other hand, was
off from prior Ms. International contests, where she had claimed
victory, and she was short of the conditioning level she had shown
at the 2004 Ms. Olympia, where she finished third behind Kyle and
Lenda Murray. Nevertheless, the judges felt comfortable enough with
Oriquen's overall look to give her the victory--in unanimous
fashion. Although
third-place Betty Pariso has struggled to win at the pro level, few
will doubt the enthusiasm or willingness of this 49-year-old wonder
to enter a contest at the drop of a hat.
RAGANOT TO RICHES, A LIGHTWEIGHT TALE | From the first callouts of
round one, judges made it clear that Brenda Raganot and Mah-Ann
Mendoza were high on their wish list. After the first three rounds
and going into the final posedown round, Mendoza was tied with
Raganot. It was only after the final posedown that Raganot earned a
unanimous decision to take the class victory by a five-point margin.
After several years of concerted effort, Canadian Desiree Ellis has
now moved to the elite circle of lightweights at the pro level, and
her third-place finish at this year's Ms. International puts the
exclamation mark on that fact.With what many felt was one of the
most pleasing overall physiques in the contest, Austria's Susanne
Niederhauser--in her Ms. International debut--finished fourth.
2005 MS. INTERNATIONAL FINAL
RESULTS
March 4, 2005; Veterans Memorial Auditorium; Columbus, Ohio
COMPETITOR COUNTRY PRIZE MONEY
LIGHTWEIGHT
1 Brenda Raganot* United States $7,000
2 Mah-Ann Mendoza* United States 5,000
3 Desiree Ellis* Canada 3,000
4 Susanne Niederhauser Austria 2,500
5 Angela Debatin Brazil 1,500
6 Fannie Barrios Venezuela 1,000
HEAVYWEIGHT
1 Yaxeni Oriquen* (and overall) Venezuela $17,000 ([dagger])
2 Betty Viana* Venezuela 5,000
3 Betty Pariso* United States 3,000
4 Lisa Aukland United States 2,500
5 Christine Roth Canada 1,500 |
