DEFEATED at Mr Guyana 2014 in the Welterweight class, allegedly robbed in Barbados, Top End’s Winston Stoby shook of this year’s disappointments to take the Flex Night Incorporated 2014 overall title on Sunday night.

Shawnell Warner of Fitness Paradise won the Ms Flex Night Bikini Overall Title, while Alicia Fortune (GDF) had the Best Legs on the night.

In front of a vocal crowd at the National Cultural Centre, Stoby first took victory in the Men’s Bodybuilding Class Under-176 pounds where he faced his stiffest competition against Sylvester Andrews.
With four athletes in the class, places third and fourth were decided from the time they walked out on stage. The battle was between Stoby and Sylvester Andrews and a showdown it was! They first free-posed for one minute to their own music trying to woo the crowd, but more so the judges.
It was then time for the seven compulsory poses, showing the biceps and lats – front and back, their best side view of their chest and triceps and finally abdominals and thighs.
All eyes were fixed on Stoby and Andrews – positioned next to each other and they flexed, gritting hard and they held firm, each muscle bulging, each cut and defined.
When the results were announced, Stoby was the victor but some persons were not pleased.
Chronicle Sport spoke with one of the judges, who disclosed that Stoby had a better overall package. He had more muscle mass – thick and dense – while Andrews was still holding water in his legs.
Stoby returned later in the evening to face off against the four other category winners – Under-143 lb – Zalim Bacchus of the Tej Mohall Gym in Skeldon, Marlon Bennett – Xtreme Fitness in the Under-154 lb, Former Mr Guyana Sylvan Gardner – The Under- 165 lb and Alex Hamilton the Over-176 lb class – and won easily.
He also copped the Best Poser Trophy.
“Hard work, dedication, the whole nine yards. I put my best foot forward and I got the results that I needed,” said Stoby of his performance.
The Men’s Physique class is now being introduced in Guyana. It’s for those athletes who do not want to build to the point of becoming massive, but yet have an aesthetically pleasing physique.
Some 15 athletes came on stage. One took the title – a lover of the stage and crowd-pleaser Does Burgzong of Suriname.
Athletes first walked out, clad in beach shorts and advertised their physique – making a ‘T-Walk’ of the stage. They then were called back to go through four quarter turns – showing their front and back and right and left sides.
Stabroek News Sports Journalist and Body Max athlete Emmerson Campbell finished 2nd with his gym-mate Nick Grimes in third.
The females competed in three divisions – Ms Flex night Best Legs, and Ms Bikini Short and Tall Classes.
The Ms Flex Night Best Legs had two segments – the Mini Dress Sequence and the Compulsory Poses in whole bathing suits.
For the Mini Dress segment, the ladies were all ‘dolled up’ hair, nails, eyes, accessories and some ‘wicked’ stiletto heels. They made a T-Walk from back to front and left to right stage, striking various poses as they strutted their stuff.
In round two, the 11 ladies returned in whole-piece bathing suits, minus the heels. They went through six poses, showing the development of their legs from the back and front, extended to the sides and pointing front – almost in a ‘pistol squat’.
At the end of the two rounds, Alisha Fortune of the GDF Gym came out victorious with Fiona Spencer of Fitness Express 2nd and Suriname’s Suelle Shepperd 3rd. Crowd favourites Marissa Lowden of Fitness Paradise and Vanety Bouwe of Suriname finished 4th and 5th respectively. The decision did not go down well with the audience.
Then there were the Bikini classes for Short and Tall Women – clad in two-piece outfits and heels with the T-Walk on the stage and the compulsory poses for comparisons.
Shawnell Warner won the Short class with Fiona Spencer 2nd and Sonia Cummings third, while Suriname’s Suelle Shepperd won the Tall class from her country-woman Vanety Bouwe. Lowden finished third.
The top two ladies in both classes then came together for Flex Nigh Bikini Overall title. When the comparisons were all done Warner was given the title; Shepperd 2nd, Bouwe 3rd and Spencer was 4th.
Flex Night director Donald Sinclair said some 60 athletes registered for the event -largest ever in the history of the event and for any local show.
“The quality of physiques was quite impressive and we’re pleased. There are some areas we need to work on like the poses and outfits and it (the Show) has pointed us into where our growth areas are going to be,” said Sinclair of the event.
There will be another edition come next year.

(By Leeron Brumell)