European Juniors & Masters Championships

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2009 EUROPEAN JUNIORS AND MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS
GOLD MEDALS FOR 12 COUNTRIES!

By Andrew Michalak

The Championships are over. Half of the participating countries won the gold medals! It is very rare situation but there were 19 categories and four overall titles, so this event is the biggest in the IFBB yearly schedule. Why the National Teams from 23 countries came to Romania this year? IFBB President Dr. Rafael Santonja concluded this in a simple way in his opening speech – “We are in Romania for the 3rd time and we have always found the same – people who love sport.”
Then Romanian National Team supported this statement winning the best team classification. Congratulations to their National Coach Mr. Danut Enuta and local trainers! But Romanian organizers proved the same, preparing the Championships according to the highest IFBB standards.
Most of the Central Europe was flooded by heavy rains and attacked by strong storms but northern Romania was an exception: we didn’t suffer from this weather anomalies. The sky was clear in the first part of the day and slightly clouded in the second part, so we were lucky that the ambient air temperature was not so high.

These Championships included the Anti-Aging Seminar with Dr. Santonja as a main lecturer and IFBB World Judges Seminar run by the IFBB Judges Committee Chairman Mr. Pawel Filleborn. These Championships, held at the end of June, closed the European spring season but not for a long time: the next big IFBB international contest will take place in a middle of July in Chinese Taipei and it will be the 2009 World Games.

The stars
Romanian athlete Laura Cupsa won the junior women’s fitness short class and then the overall title, following her 4th place in 2008. She improved her body tightness and showed perfect flexibility in her routine, winning the overall battle against the Polish newcomer Renata Balsewicz, who dominated the tall class.
Junior men’s fitness was quite popular this year, with 8 competitors in the line-up. 2008 World’s runner-up Ionut Man from the University of the North in Baia Mare won all three rounds.
Both juniors bodyftness classes had their clear winners: Jana Kolbaska (Slovakia) and Jana Cernovska (Czech Republic). They both got the perfect scores from the judges in all rounds, so their battle for the overall title was very exciting. Finally, Kolbaska was declared the best bodyftness athlete of the Championships and fully deserves for this title, displaying fantastic body lines, toned muscles and low bodyfat level, with personal charm and beauty. The real role model for young bodyftness athletes! Congratulations to her trainer Dr. Milan Cizek!
Junior women’s bodybuilding gathered 6 young enthusiasts of the weight training. Judges had to chose between slimmer but shaper physiques and fuller but softer bodies. Finally, they awarded the first type of physique, giving the first place to the Romanian girl Liana Pall.
There was a close combat between Polish star Akop Szostak and new Russian star Denis Maleev in junior classic bodybuilding. Akop slightly won the first round 7:8 only but was clearly better in both final rounds and took the title. Denis is trained by his father Viktor Maleev who started in the masters category at this event.
And finally junior men’s bodybuilding. The lightweight, up to 75 kg, had its clear leader Michail Motanov of Lithuania. Motanov’s debut took place in 2007 in Tyumen. Now he returned much improved, with harmonized muscle development (even the calves!) and higher body quality, much better than in case of his rivals. A real talent!. Congratulations to his trainer (and former bodybuilder) Alla Guseva.
The heavyweight class was a field of a very close battle between the defending champion Nasser Al-Ahmed of Bulgaria and challenger from Poland, Szymon Lada, who placed 6th at the 2008 Junior Worlds. Maybe Al-Ahmad had bigger upper body muscles but Lada is shorter and looks very proportional. Showing visibly better definition, he won the second round by 2 point and the third round with bigger point difference, dethroning the champion. But he couldn’t do any damaged to Motanov in the overall category.

Then juniors passed the floor to masters. Ladies first. Bodyfitness open category was dominated by Andrea Farkas of Hungary, who attacked from the 4th position in 2008. Her harder body, with visible separation in the thigh area, brought her to victory over Czech competitor, Eva Klappova and Ukrainian athlete Tetiana Mikheychyk, silver medal winner at the recent European Mixed Pairs Championships in Novi Sad.
Two-time world bodybuilding champion Irina Muntean of Romania, had no special problems with her next victory, in the masters class this time. She won several world and continental gold medals in her career but was not so lucky in the masters division. In Baia Mare, winning all three rounds over Ekaterina Sinitsyna, bronze medal winner at the 2008 European Women in Skopje, she got the next “gold” lacking in her collection.

All together there were eight masters men’s categories. We were the witness of tough duels at the top in most of them. First, the youngest masters division, age 40-49, with four bodyweight classes. Two well-known athletes: Italian Franco Capucci and Polish Henryk Hryszkiewicz met on the stage once again in 70 kg category. Capucci placed one point ahead of Hryszkiewicz in Pilsen, winning the Worlds silver medal few months ago. In Baia Mare they run a close battle in the semifinals (7:9 for Capucci) but in the finals his domination was unquestionable and he won his first continental gold.
In 80 kg class there were three pretenders to the top trophy: Paul Lans of Netherlands, Rafael Arana of Spain and Jens Schneider of Germany. Semifinals went to Lans but Arana earned two-point advantage in the second round and defended it in the third round being tied 10:10 with Lans. Arana was a bronze medal winner at the 2004 World Masters Championships and returned to the stage now. Lans tried in many organizations but moved to the IFBB this year and made nice impressions in his first start.
Even the current world master champion in 90 kg category, Jose Rebolo of Portugal, had no easy way to the top. He met a very demanding rival, German bodybuilder Markus Kaminski. Enough to say that in the first and third rounds they were tied 12:12 but Rebolo placed higher in the second round, winning this category after hard battle. Kaminski, trained by Peter Trenz, showed a high quality muscles with good separation and was very close to do a big surprise.
The heavyweight class, over 90 kg, had its clear leader, Vadym Mytryushyn of Ukraine. He works as a Chief National Coach of Ukrainian Team but this time he decided to give a practical lesson to his students and he was successful, winning all three rounds. Now he will be able to say to his younger bodybuilders – “Look, winning the contests is not so difficult task. I went, I won.”

Who really impressed me, was Werner Zenk, 55, who gave no chance to his rivals in up to 80 kg category, age 50-59. Beginning in 1998, he took part in eight World Championships, mainly Men’s, entering the finals seven times and winning the 2005 World Games. In 2007 he decided to try the European Masters but lost to Sergey Biller of Russia. This was his second try and he won all rounds with a perfect scores from the judges, showing hard, deeply separated and cut-up muscles. Later on he lost the overall title to Arana by 2 points only. Italian coalition: Paolo Mari – Valter Minetto was powerless this time and had to accept 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Wolfgang Schober of Austria and Aleksandr Alekseev of Russia met second time on the stage, following the 2007 European Championships, when Schober placed 3rd and Alekseev just behind him. This year their battle was also very tough. Alekseev slightly won the first round 6:9 and they were tied in the third round 9:9, so the second round (compulsory poses in the final) was decisive and this round definitely went to Alekseev 10:22. Schober has some weak points (abs, middle back) and can’t win against the full and complete bodybuilders like Alekseev.
Over 60 category has its new leader, Lithuanian engineer Vladimir Uljanov. Women’s handball team trainer Adolf Hopf from Giessen, Germany, improved a lot and advanced to the 2nd positions.

And a new category: maters classic bodybuilding. Five pioneers entered but only Serbian athlete Goran Ilic has had longer international competitive career and he easily won the historical first masters classic medal. Goran is a tall competitor (187 cm) but nicely shaped and harmonized.


All pictures by Pawel Kleineder.


The Lascar Pana Sport Hall in Baia Mare – venue site of the 2009 Championships.


Hotel Mare – official hotel of the Championships.


Dr. Rafael Santonja delivering his lecture at the Anti-Aging Seminar.


Pawel Filleborn during the IFBB World Seminar for judges.


OPENING CEREMONY:


Romanian officials awarded by the IFBB during the Opening Ceremony.


They were judging at the Championships.


JUNIOR WOMEN’S FITNESS UP TO 163 CM


Junior women’s fitness up to 163 cm victory ceremony(from L to R): Renata MERI (2nd place); Laura CUPSA (1st place); Tatiana SMIRNOVA (3rd place).


Junior women’s fitness up to 163 cm winner: Laura CUPSA (Romania).


Laura CUPSA in her routine.


JUNIOR WOMEN’S FITNESS OVER 163 CM


Junior women’s fitness over 163 cm medal winners (from L to R); Barbara MIKO (2nd place); Zaneta BALSEWICZ (1st place); Zsuzsanna VAGHI (3rd place).


Junior women’s fitness over 163 cm winner: Zaneta BALSEWICZ (Poland).


Zaneta BALSEWICZ in her routine.


JUNIOR WOMEN’S FITNESS OVERALL


Junior women’s fitness overall champion Laura CUPSA (Romania).


Junior women’s fitness overall (from L to R): Laura CUPSA and Zaneta BALSEWICZ.

JUNIOR MEN’S FITNESS OPEN


Junior men’s fitness medal winners (from L to R): Tomas PICHNARCIK (2nd place); Ionut MAN (1st place); Ioan COSTESCU (3rd place).


Junior men’s fitness medal winner: Ionut MAN (Romania).


Ionut MAN in his routine.



JUNIOR WOMEN’S BODYFITNESS UP TO 163 CM


Junior women’s bodyfitness up to 163 cm medal winners (from L to R): Tanita ZETEA (2nd place); Jana KOLBASKA(1st place); Anna ZUBRILINA (3rd place).


Junior women’s bodyfitness up to 163 cm winner: Jana KOLBASKA (Slovakia).

JUNIOR WOMEN’S BODYFITNESS OVER 163 CM


Junior women’s bodyfitness over 163 cm medal winners (from L to R): Martina MRLIANOVA (2nd place); Jana CERNOVSKA (1st place); Ruta JUKNELYTE (3rd place).


Junior women’s bodyfitness over 163 cm winner: Jana CERNOVSKA (Czech Republic).

JUNIOR WOMEN’S BODYFITNESS OVERALL


Junior women’s bodyfitness overall champion Jana KOLBASKA (Slovakia) congratulated by the IFBB President Dr.
Rafael SANTONJA.


Junior women’s bodyfitness overall (from L to R): Jana CERNOVSKA and Jana KOLBASKA.

JUNIOR WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING,OPEN


Junior women’s bodybuilding medal winners (from L to R): Alina DUTA (2nd place); Liana PALL (1st place); Diana VRABIE (3rd place).


Junior women’s bodybuilding winner: Liana PALL (Romania).

JUNIOR MEN’S CLASSIC BODYBUILDING OPEN


Junior men’s classic bodybuilding medal winners (from L to R): Denis MALEEV (2nd place); Akop SZOSTAK (1st place); Ondrej MILACEK (3rd place).


Junior men’s classic bodybuilding winner: Akop SZOSTAK (Poland).

JUNIOR MEN’S BODYBUILDING UP TO 75 KG


Junior men’s bodybuilding up to 75 kg medal winners(from L to R): Jozef BALABAS (2nd place); Michail MOTANOV (1st place); Michal TOSECKY (3rd place).


Junior men’s bodybuilding up to 75 kg winner: Michail MOTANOV (Lithuania).


JUNIOR MEN’S BODYBUILDING OVER 75 KG


Junior men’s bodybuilding over 75 kg medal winners (from L to R): Abdel AL-AHMED (2nd place); Szymon LADA(1st place); Martin MAMRILLA (3rd place).


Junior men’s bodybuilding over 75 kg winner: Szymon LADA (Poland).

JUNIOR MEN’S BODYBUILDING OVERALL


Junior men’s bodybuilding overall champion Michail MOTANOV (Lithuania) congratulated by the IFBB President Dr. Rafael SANTONJA.


Junior men’s bodybuilding overall (from L to R): Szymon LADA and Michail MOTANOV.

MASTER WOMEN’S BODYFITNESS OPEN


Master women’s bodyfitness medal winners (from L to R): Eva KLAPPOVA (2nd place); Andrea FARKAS (1st place);Tetiana MIKHEYCHYK (3rd place).


Hungarian Federation General Secretary Zita Osiyemi (left) congratulated Andrea FARKAS.

MASTER WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING OPEN


Master women’s bodybuilding medal winners (from L to R): Ekaterina SINITSYNA (2nd place); Irina MUNTEAN (1st place); Judit PALECIAN (3rd place).


Master women’s bodybuilding winner: Irina MUNTEAN (Romania).

MASTER MEN’S BODYBUILDING 40- 49 YEARS OLD, UP TO 70 KG


Master men’s bodybuilding 40-49 years old, up to 70 kg medal winners (from L to R): Henryk HRYSZKIEWICZ (2nd place); Carlo CAPUCCI (1st place); Vasile CRACIUN (3rd place).


Master men’s bodybuilding 40-49 years old, up to 70 kg winner: Carlo CAPUCCI (Italy).

MASTER MEN’S BODYBUILDING 40- 49 YEARS OLD, UP TO 80 KG


Master men’s bodybuilding 40-49 years old, up to 80 kg medal winners (from L to R): Paul LANS (2nd place);Rafael ARANA (1st place); Jens SCHNEIDER (3rd place).


Master men’s bodybuilding 40-49 years old, up to 80 kg winner: Rafael ARANA (Spain).

MASTER MEN’S BODYBUILDING 40- 49 YEARS OLD, UP TO 90 KG


Master men’s bodybuilding 40-49 years old, up to 90 kg medal winners (from L to R): Markus KAMINSKI (2nd place); Jose REBOLO (1st place); Daniele FURIOSI (3rd place).


Master men’s bodybuilding 40-49 years old, up to 90 kg winner: Jose REBOLO (Portugal).

MASTER MEN’S BODYBUILDING 40- 49 YEARS OLD, OVER 90 KG


Master men’s bodybuilding 40-49 years old, over 90 kg

medal winners (from L to R): Juan SANZ (2nd place); Vadym MYTRYUSHIN (1st place); Harald SELSAM (3rd place).


Master men’s bodybuilding 40-49 years old, over 90 kg winner: Vadym MYTRYUSHIN (Ukraine).


MASTER MEN’S BODYBUILDING 50- 59 YEARS OLD, UP TO 80 KG


Master men’s bodybuilding 50-59 years old, up to 80 kg medal winners (from L to R): Paolo MARI (2nd place);Werner ZENK (1st place); Valter MINETTO (3rd place).


Master men’s bodybuilding 50-59 years old, up to 80 kg winner: Werner ZENK (Germany).

MASTER MEN’S BODYBUILDING 50- 59 YEARS OLD, OVER 80 KG


Master men’s bodybuilding 50-59 years old, over 80 kg medal winners (from L to R): Wolfgang SCHOBER (2nd place); Alexandr ALEKSEEV (1st place); Antonio VERGIANI(3rd place).


Master men’s bodybuilding 50-59 years old, over 80 kg winner: Alexandr ALEKSEEV (Russia).



MASTER MEN’S BODYBUILDING OVER 60 YEARS OLD, OPEN


Master men’s bodybuilding over 60 years old medal winners (from L to R): Adolf HOPF (2nd place); Vladimir ULJANOV (1st place); Eugen KANTOR (3rd place).


Master men’s bodybuilding over 60 years old winner: Vladimir ULJANOV (Lithuania).

MASTER MEN’S BODYBUILDING OVERALL


Master men’s bodybuilding overall champion Rafael ARANA congratulated by the IFBB President Dr. Rafael SANTONJA.


Master men’s bodybuilding overall champion Rafael ARANA (Spain).

MASTER MEN’S CLASSIC BODYBUILDING, OPEN


Master men’s classic bodybuilding victory ceremony (from L to R): EBFF Vice-President Pawel FILLEBORN; Frantisek DAVID (2nd place); IFBB President Dr. Rafael SANTONJA; Goran ILIC (1st place); Serbian Federation delegate Zoran STOJIC; Bohumil TICHACEK (3rd place).



Master men’s classic bodybuilding medal winners (from L to R): Frantisek DAVID (2nd place); Goran ILIC (1st place); Bohumil TICHACEK (3rd place).


Master men’s classic bodybuilding winner: Goran ILIC (Serbia).




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