A pair of IFBB events are on the calendar for this weekend with the Europa Super Show in Dallas, Texas and the Pacific USA Bikini Championships in San Diego.
EUROPA SUPER SHOW
MEN’S BODYBUILDING
It’s essentially a repeat of last week’s Tampa Pro, with nine of the top 10 making the trip to Dallas as the Olympia Qualification Series nears the finish line.
With a qualification already wrapped up with last week’s win, Shawn Rhoden will look for his second straight win. His shape can’t be rivaled in this contest – or nearly any other – so Toney Freeman and Hidetada Yamagishi will have to hope Rhoden’s conditioning doesn’t match what he brought last week. If it doesn’t, and if either Freeman or Yamagishi matches what they brought last week, we could see another in the winner’s circle.
With eight points in the OQS standings, Freeman likely needs to finish in the top five to qualify for the Olympia for the seventh straight year. If he places third or higher Freeman will pass Ben Pakulski as the leader in the standings.
Yamagishi, who has qualified for the Olympia in four of the past five years, currently sits in a tie for 10th in the OQS standings with three points. A top-three finish here may mean he doesn’t have to make the trip to Finland to sew up a qualification.
212 MEN’S BODYBUILDING
David Henry, the first-ever 202 Showdown winner, returns to the stage after a one-year absence due to military deployment with the Air Force. If he looks anything close to how he did last time he competed – when he as the runner-up in the 2010 202 Showdown – he’ll be the clear favorite.
Derrik Farnsworth currently sits in a three-way tie for fourth, and will look to add to his total of 4 points in the OQS standings. He’ll put himself in good position for a qualification with a top three finish. Anything outside of that will most likely mean he makes the trip to North Carolina for a few more points with the hopes of sewing up a qualification there.
FIGURE
Two of the biggest names in the lineup – Felicia Romero and Larissa Reis – have yet to qualify for Olympia Weekend. Romero competes for the first time since the 2011 Sheru Classic, so she enters Dallas with no points in the OQS standings. She has qualified for the Olympia in each of the last five years, but if she doesn’t win in Dallas she’ll face an uphill battle trying to make it six in a row.
Reis, who has competed in the last three Figure Olympias, currently sits at No. 10 in the standings with three points.
Alea Suarez, in a tie for 2nd in the standings with 7 points – one behind leader Allison Frahn – can become the new points leader with a top-four finish.
PACIFIC USA BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
One of three contests remaining on the schedule and, surprisingly, only two of the points leaders from the OQS are on the competitor list. One – pre-contest favorite Narmin Assria, who is coming off a runner-up finish at the LA Pro Grand Prix last month – is virtually assured a spot in Vegas with a top-five finish.
Taylor Matheny currently sits in 7th with four points. Abigail Burrows and Tiffany Boydston are the only competitors in the contest who have already qualified for Olympia Weekend.
EUROPA SUPER SHOW
MEN’S BODYBUILDING
212 MEN’S BODYBUILDING
FIGURE
PACIFIC USA CHAMPIONSHIPS
