The IDFA’s annual International Championships event is Canada’s largest pro and amateur physique competition of the summer season. This year’s event was held on July 23 at the Jane Mallet Theatre, a beautiful venue in downtown Toronto, Canada, that’s been home to many previous IDFA shows. More than 90 male and female competitors lined the stage in 18 masters, novice, open, and pro categories.
Masters competitions are for athletes over 40 years of age. IDFA amateur veteran Janet Gates won the women’s masters figure competition, while men’s masters winner François LeBlond, who was competing in his third IDFA show of the season, not only beat out the over-40-year-olds, but also the much younger competitors in the open heavyweight class, a win that earned him an IDFA Pro Card.
Novice competitions are for first-time competitors or for those who haven’t placed in the top three in a previous competition. Rhodri Goodall, Atiba McQueen, and Walter Cesta won the men’s novice lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight classes respectively, with Cesta taking home the overall men’s title. Carla Smallfield won the figure short competition as well as the overall novice figure title, and Jennifer Dunn won the figure tall category. In novice fitness model, it was Tina Salicco who won the short class and Heather Rotteveel who won the tall class and overall title.
Open competitions are for more advanced competitors and offer the opportunity to win IDFA Pro Cards. IDFA Pro Cards for men’s bodybuilding were awarded to lightweight winner Ariel Flores, who did a “fingertip push-up” on the stage, something most people in the audience had never seen before; to middleweight winner Al Kabia, who didn’t do any pushups onstage but, instead, simply let his physique do the talking in order to win not just his class but the overall title as well; and to François LeBlond, whom I already mentioned as the masters winner. Women’s open fitness model saw Claudia Hau, who was the overall winner at the IDFA Novice Classic in May, take home the title and earn an IDFA Pro Card, while striking Crystal Ceh, in her second IDFA show ever, won the open figure competition and also earned an IDFA Pro Card.
The pro competitions were incredibly exciting with amazing Michelle MacDonald winning the fitness-model category, shapely Nathalie Piche winning the figure category, and Stephan Smith winning the men’s lightweight class. The men’s heavyweight bodybuilding competition was the showdown of the summer season with IDFA veteran Erik Alstrup in his third pro show facing off against IDFA newcomer Winston Johnson who was competing in his first pro show. François Beauregard and Oge Robin were in a close race for third and fourth. The competition was neck and neck all the way, with Alstrup the ultimate winner, Johnson in second place, Robin in third, and Beauregard taking fourth. Alstrup also won the men’s overall title to become the 2011 IDFA Men’s International Bodybuilding Champion. The men’s competition was so exciting that the first question that came to everyone’s mind was: Will they all compete again in the fall at the IDFA Pro Universe? That competition is on November 5 in Toronto, Canada, and you can be sure that we’ll be there to cover it!
Full unofficial results:
*Results will become official once all drug testing has been validated.
WOMEN’S MASTERS FIGURE
MEN'S MASTERS BODYBUILDING
MEN’S PRO BODYBUILDING - LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN’S PRO BODYBUILDING - HEAVYWEIGHT
WOMEN’S PRO FIGURE
WOMEN’S PRO FITNESS MODEL
WOMEN'S NOVICE FITNESS MODEL - SHORT
WOMEN'S NOVICE FITNESS MODEL - TALL
MEN'S NOVICE BODYBUILDING – LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN'S NOVICE BODYBUILDING – MIDDLEWEIGHT
MEN'S NOVICE BODYBUILDING – HEAVYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S NOVICE FIGURE – SHORT
WOMEN'S NOVICE FIGURE – TALL
WOMEN'S OPEN FITNESS MODEL
MEN'S OPEN BODYBUILDING – LIGHTWEIGHT
MEN'S OPEN BODYBUILDING – MIDDLEWEIGHT
MEN'S OPEN BODYBUILDING – HEAVYWEIGHT
WOMEN'S OPEN FIGURE