Details

Created: 01 November 2014 01 November 2014

The Physique Canada 2014 Canadian Championships event was a hotly competitive, well-attended affair that allowed the organization to end the year on an extremely positive note. The event was held in the main theater of the Canadian Museum of History, which is located in Gatineau, Quebec. The Canadian Championships featured Tier 3 (novice), Tier 2 (open), and Tier 1 (pro) competitions for all the men’s and women’s disciplines. There were also competitions for those competitors over the age of 40 (masters).

What was particularly exciting at this year’s event is that it was the largest field ever of Tier 1 competitors on the Physique Canada stage, which is proof that the organization is not only growing bigger, but also stronger since the depth of competition has improved. It’s these competitors that the rest of this article will focus on. As you’ll read, it was not only competitive in Tier 1, but at times somewhat controversial as well.

Where there were no surprises and controversy was in the men’s bodybuilding category. Simon Proteau was the winner of the National Classic, held earlier this year in June, and he was the easy winner here again based on his superior size and conditioning – he dominated the stage. It’s no surprise to report that the judges had him in first place across the board. As a result, the real battle was for who would flesh out the next two spots to complete the top-three placings. In my eyes, it was between Mathieu Roy, Tony Muto, and Jorge Martinez. None was superior in size, so it came down to shape, conditioning, and symmetry. In the end it was Roy’s super shape and symmetry that landed him in second, and Tony’s topnotch conditioning that allowed him to take third.

Mathieu Roy, Simon Proteau and Tony Muto

The women’s muscular physique category, which is also known as figure, wasn’t as clear cut and wasn’t without controversy and surprise. Veteran competitor Nadia Moussa, who was fresh off her win at the National Classic in June, was, I feel, in the best shape of her life. In terms of a combination of size, shape, symmetry, and presentation, she had it all. Up against her was Marie-Ève Delorme, who, genetically, is blessed with thick muscle bellies and a tiny, tiny waist. However, I thought Marie-Ève’s posing needed to be improved, as did her conditioning. Still, it was Marie-Ève’s combination of thickly developed muscles surrounding her small midsection that seemed to sway most of the judges to her side to edge out Nadia for the win. Rounding out the top three was Natalie Nadon, who is blessed with excellent shape and showed good conditioning at this event. What Natalie will need to improve upon is size in order to compete against the likes of Marie-Ève and Nadia.

Nadia Moussa, Marie-Ève Delorme and Nathalie Nadon

The women’s athletic physique category wasn’t nearly as controversial, but it was very competitive, since there were six women in total competing, with four of them having the right kind of look to take the top spot: Jessica Kanstrup, Jacinthe Amyot, Melanie Albert, and Marie-Josee Allard. To me, the one who had the best potential to take this class was Jessica Kanstrup – and could have done so. Jessica had excellent muscle size and shape, good definition, and an overall appearance that looked really “athletic,” which is obviously what this class demands. The problem was that her posing was hit and miss, particularly in the back poses, so she wasn’t showing the judges all she had all the time. That mistake combined with high quality of the others caused her to slip out of the top three, allowing Jacinthe Amyot, who was probably in the best shape of her life and was posing very well, to nab first; Marie-Josee Allard, who has beautiful structure and was in excellent shape, to take second; and Melanie Albert, who was the most defined of the bunch, but was teetering a little too close to being too thin, to round out the top three in third. Moral of the story: bring it all if your goal is a win!

Marie-Josee Allard, Jacinthe Amyot and Melanie Albert

Simon’s, Marie-Ève’s, and Jacinthe’s wins allow each of them the privilege of being called 2014 Canadian Champion, and it also made them each $1000 richer, since that’s what the class winners receive – a nice reward for a day’s work. The top-three winners from Tier 1 category are also eligible to compete in the WBPF’s world championships in December if they so choose, which is obviously a nice perk for those competitors who want international exposure and progression. For everyone else, there’s next year – and the way Physique Canada is going and growing, it’s only going to get better!

Doug Schneider
SeriousAboutMuscle.com Founder and Publisher