UKBFF British Championships – Day 1

by John Plummer

Three overall champions and 20 class winners were crowned on what is set to be the biggest ever UKBFF British Championships. 
The major trophies went to Olawale Shotubo (men's physique), Tanya Barrett (bikini fitness) and Samantha Forbes (bodyfitness) after almost 12 hours of non-stop action. 
Emcee Kerry Kayes announced the two-day event, which concludes on Sunday with the bodybuilding categories, is expected to surpass the 720 entries from last year. Some 430 competed on day one.
Class winners were awarded IFBB elite pro cards. Junior bodyfitness champion Connie Slyziut was also invited on stage to receive an elite pro card, a week after winning the IFBB Ben Weider Legacy Cup in Finland.
The next elite pro event in Europe, which also incorporates an elite pro qualifier, takes place in Milan on November 25 and 26 and has 50,000 euros up for grabs. 
The flexing and posing was also briefly interrupted for a wedding proposal on stage and for a husband-and-wife, who are both competing this weekend, to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.

MEN'S PHYSIQUE
Arnold Classic Europe champion Rasto Valent continued his golden autumn with victory in the tall class, showing his trademark combination of aesthetic size, good presentation and an extremely healthy look to hold off hard-charging youngster Josh Bridgman, who improves every year.
There was a familiar look to the up to 182 cm class, where Darren Johnson defended his title against some old foes. Johnson does a great job of constantly refining his package while always turning up sharp and is now a high quality international performer.
Olawale Shotubo sunk to the stage with happiness after winning the up to 178 cm class. Shotubo showed the best balance from all angles in one of the strongest line-ups of the day. British Bengali Shamsul Ali completed a one-two for aesthetics – both these guys showed what shape is about. If that was good, Shotubo experienced joy overload at the end of the day when he took the overall.
Meite Niamba, who has been near the top in men's physique for a while, scaled the summit by winning the up to 174 cm height class. The shortest height categories for both men and women always seem to bring the toughest competition and this was no exception but Niamba's sharp midsection and brilliant shoulders set him apart.
Junior men's physique, which featured no fewer than 33 guys, boiled down to a battle between Ross Alam and Isaac Francis. Both guys had plenty of size for the class; Francis has a big chest and superb aesthetics but Alam had peaked perfectly and was slightly fuller. Francis had to settle for silver and later added to his trophy collection by taking bronze in the up to 174 cm height class. Rookie winner Khushwant Singh turned up hard as nails. He was vascular and had a big chest and back. 
Curtis Brown, who had a great taper, won muscular men's physique and was immediately rewarded with the news that he was eligible for an elite pro card.

BIKINI FITNESS
Defending champion Livia Melo and 2015 champion Krish Kataria were the last women standing in the always-competitive up to 163 cm height class. The two females have contrasting physiques and this time the tiny but so well balanced Kataria finished first. Melo and third-placed Zulmira Woodrow are, incredibly, eligible for the masters division. 
Nikki Harvey was overcome by joy after winning the up to 166 cm class. She had every right to be emotional: she'd clearly trained hard and showed up in excellent condition. 2016 junior champion Chelsea Dyson, looking tight in the glutes and hamstrings, was second.
A new star was born in the up to 169 cm class where newcomer Paloma Andrade came from off the radar to win with a striking blend of beauty and athleticism. 
Tanya Barrett, who looked exceptionally lean and well trained yet still healthy, took the tall class to prevent junior champion Marta Mila from doing the double. Barrett's good day turned into a great one when she later won the overall.
It was still a breakthrough day for Mila: given the depth and standard of the juniors this year it needed something special to be selected as the best of the best 23 on stage here. But with her crazy shape, leanness and effervescent stage presence she was able to hold off the polished and well balanced Phoebe Hagan. 
Sophie Davis became the inaugural British champion in the rookie class. This class has flourished more as the year has gone on and Davis is a worthy standard bearer, displaying a particularly impressive lower body.
Wellness also rounded off a successful debut season with a fitting champion. Shannon Mackie's legs and glutes, along with her dialled in condition and bikini upper body, showed what it is all about.

BODYFITNESS
You could attend a lot of competitions without finding a woman with better lines than Samantha Forbes, who was probably the female athlete of the day, winning both the up to 163 cm height class and the overall. She has a dramatic taper into a tiny waist and a structure that just looks so pleasing.
Forbes overcame Rhea Gayle, another woman with a wonderful shape, in her height class then defeated tall class winner Anna Banks for the overall. Banks was one of the best-conditioned athletes of the day and had fabulous glutes. Banks beat Kristie Sanderson and Arnold Classic Europe overall champion Dani Osborn in her class.
A week after winning the IFBB Ben Weider Legacy Cup, Connie Slyziut became a two-time British champion in junior bodyfitness. This young woman has set the standard in this class, always turning up lean and cutting an imposingly wide and shapely figure on stage. Lucy Donoghue got some much-deserved recognition by finishing second: she has a wonderful structure and her side poses are breath-taking.
Ruth Pierronnet maintained Scotland's record for producing bodyfitness champions. The Dundee mother turned up in excellent shape and celebrated her moment of glory on stage with her daughter.

You can view and buy images of this event here: http://www.ukbffphotos.com/2017/BRITISH-CHAMPIONSHIPS
Or competitors can order photos as a package here: http://baileyimage.co.uk/official-stage-photos-post-show/

RESULTS
Overall Men's Physique
Olawale Shotubo

Overall Bikini Fitness
Tanya Barrett

Overall Bodyfitness
Samantha Forbes

Junior Men's Physique
1 Ross Alam
2 Isaac Francis
3 Dudley Dixon
4 Jacob Brailey
5 Jonathan Halliday
6 Alex Woods

Junior Bikini Fitness
1 Marte Mila
2 Phoebe Hagan
3 Rose Inglesias
4 Danielle Noakes
5 Megan Sylvester
6 Antonia Mander

Junior Bodyfitness
1 Connie Slyziut
2 Lucy Donoghue
3 Charlianne Ward
4 Henrietta Chereches
5 Chloe Chisholm
6 Sophie Greenslade

Rookie Bikini Fitness
1 Sophie Davis
2 Megan Healey
3 Claudia Paduraru
4 Chloe Greenwood
5 Bilyana Topolova
6 Elizabeth Finlay

Bikini Fitness up to 163 cm
1 Krish Kataria
2 Livia Melo
3 Zulmira Woodrow
4 Agnes Lagare
5 Natalie Lewis
6 Bea Mitchell

Bikini Fitness up to 166 cm
1 Nikki Harvey
2 Chlsea Dyson
3 Shanice Graham
4 Victoria Grusaite
5 Bridget Foster
6 Alexa Jordan

Rookie Men's Physique
1 Khushwant Singh
2 Nicolas Ringo
3 Oliver Barnes
4 Bradley Walker
5 Mahesh Vekariya
6 Kuldeep Chana

Men's Physique up to 174 cm
1 Meite Niamba
2 El Noval
3 Isaac Francis
4 Robert Phill
5 Abraham Iwakun
6 Nicholas Budd

Men's Physique up to 178 cm
1 Olawale Shotubo
2 Shamsul Ali
3 Thomas Collins
4 George Dixon
5 Bruno Castro
6 Abdulrahman Aloumi

Bodyfitness up to 163 cm
1 Samantha Forbes
2 Rhea Gayle
3 Barbara Kiss
4 Sophia Sammee
5 Chloe Pickford
6 Emily Drew

Bodyfitness over 163cm
1 Anna Banks
2 Kristie Sanderson
3 Dani Osborn
4 Anna Figurska
5 Emi Wokoma
6 Connie Slyziut

Wellness
1 Shannon Mackie
2 Amy Payne
3 Tracey Larby
4 Victoria Gill
5 Kayleigh Clarke
6 Jayne Lo

Bikini Fitness up to 169 cm
1 Paloma Andrade
2 Lisa Graham
3 Ive Motiejunaite
4 Chloe-Beth Morgan
5 Veronica Martynyshyn
6 Abi Taylor

Men's Physique up to 182 cm
1 Darren Johnson
2 Ross Alam
3 Moses Adeyemi
4 Jordan Cadore
5 Francesco Rocha
6 Damien Wood

Bikini Fitness over 169 cm
1 Tanya Barrett
2 Marta Mila
3 Phoebe Hagan
4 Aga Lukaszek
5 Monica Klowak-Pilla
6 Effie Parnell-Hopkinson

Men's Physique over 182 cm
1 Rasto Valent
2 Josh Bridgman
3 Winston Julius
4 Lekhan Adewale
5 Daniel McNeill
6 Alex Platt

Masters Bodyfitness
1 Ruth Pierronnet
2 Tanya Staleva
3 Yaya Afride
4 Sarah Cooper
5 Faye Lester
6 Jo Griffiths

Masters Bikini Fitness
1 Zulmira Woodrow
2 Veronica Martynyshyn
3 Joanne Batten
4 Meg Lawrence
5 Karen Real
6 Hannah Nichols

Masters Men's Physique
1 Ricky Beckford
2 Andrew Mensah
3 Trevor Campbell
4 Craig Ridgley
5 Paul Herbert
6 Ioan Galban

Muscular Men's Physique
1 Curtis Brown
2 Ricardo Paul
3 Mizan Rahman
4 Joel Harris
5 Marcus Privett
6 Oscar Young