Though he,s an American, muscle man, Dennis James was born in Heidelberg, Germany, as his father, a military man, was stationed there. Perhaps it’s that German bodybuilding blood, but James began lifting at 18 and immediately started to impress everyone. James hasn’t had as many impressive finishes as some of the big bodybuilders – though he’s competed in the Mr. Olympia seven times, his best finish is fourth place. However, he’s consistently maintained his physique over the years, proving that you don’t always need titles to keep up your motivation.
2016 WORLD BODYBUILDING CHAMPIONSHIPS – BENIDORMSPAIN AMAZING SERIES OF GOLD MEDALS BY UNSTOPABBLE IRAN
by Andrew Michalak
photo: Igor Kopcek (www.eastlabs.sk)
The Sunday program began with the opening ceremony and parade of nations, then the battle in the rest of Bodybuilding categories started. We saw a series of 4 Iranian bodybuilders victories, two of them as a double win. Many people ask why Iranian bodybuilders were so successful? The answer is clear: beside good body proportions, they presented full, rounded muscles with deep separation. Without these factors, it is impossible to win bodybuilding competitions nowadays. A lot of bodybuilder from different countries displayed perfect body structure (frame) but very often they showed big but smooth muscles, with no separation and details, even if their bodyfat level was low (“thin skin”). To display deep separation, bodybuilders must train to get it and then must diet to make it visible, what means low bodyfat level and no underskin water. This is the bodybuilding ABC’s, the fundamental skills in our sport. Showing big muscle muss (size) only is not enough to place high in a competition.
The second impression: less and less bodybuilders really prepare their posing routines. Arnold Schwarzenegger is right saying that bodybuilders must learn how display muscles in an artistic way, with music in the background. And this music must be properly chosen: slow, sentimental song is not the best choice. Frequently, bodybuilders drop 1-2 places (or move up) depending on their scores in the routine round, which is the last round of the performance.
Let’s have a look what happened in each category.
Up to 75 kg category:
Kyoungyun Nam (Korea) won the world titles in 2013 and 2014 in 70 kg class but in 2015 lost it to Roman Iushchenko (Ukraine). Now moved to 75 kg category and showing bigger muscles took the title with perfect scores in all rounds. He was challenged by so experienced bodybuilders like Arnold Europe winners Oscar Marin and Carles Viñals (both of Spain) and Asian Championships runner-up Ahmad Rustom (UAE). But his most demanding opponents were new stars from France (Romeo Zon) and Japan (Shotaro Suyama). After long contets history in other organizations, Zon turned to the IFBB in 2014, winning bronze medal at the European Championships. Now won silver “disc” at the Worlds. Suyam debuted at the Worlds and winning bronze medal showed his great predispositions. Marin, Viñals and Rustom followed them in the next places.
Pictures:
75 kg – 1: 2016 IFBB Bodybuilding up to 75 kg category world champion: Kyoungyun NAM (Korea)
75 kg – 2: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 75 kg category medal winners (from L to R): Romeo ZON (2nd place); Kyoungyun NAM (1st place); Shotaro SUYAMA (3rd place).
75 kg – 3: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 75 kg category finalists (from L to R): Ahmad RUSTOM (6th place); Oscar MARIN (4th place); Romeo ZON (2nd place); Kyoungyun NAM (1st place); Shotaro SUYAMA (3rd place); Carles VIÑALS (5th place).
75 kg – 4: Bodybuilding up to 75 kg category world champion: Kyoungyun NAM (Korea) with Benidorm Deputy Mayor Ms. Ana PELLICAR and Korean Federation President Yeon Yong LEE.
Up to 80 kg category:
Fantastic battle at the top: 2015 world champion (75 kg class) Seonghwan Kim (Korea) vs. 2016 Arnold USA winner Masashi Suzuki (Japan). After 10 years on the stage, Suzuki reached his best life condition, winning contest by contest. After being tied 20:20 with Kim in the muscularity assessment round, he managed to won the routine round 10:12 over Kim (routines count!) and took the gold medal. Then the next very equal battle: double Arnold Europe winner Ariel Guong (Philippines) vs. Balkan champion Radoslav Angelov (Bulgaria). Guong was better scored by 2 points in the second round but lost by 2 points the third round, so they were tied 45:45 at the end. Fortunately for Guong, the second rounds result is a decisive factor and he won his first World Championships medal (bronze). In the 5th place Fábio Lopes (Portugal), ahead of Hamed Farahani (Iran). This category was less fortunate for Spanish stars as all of them: Rafael Beltran, Alberto Galan and Julio Portet placed out of the final 6. The same happened to last year’s finalist Faisal Al-Matani (Oman) and Olympia Africa and Arnold USA winner Michael Adonis (RSA). So many stars and so exciting combat!
Pictures:
80 kg – 1: 2016 IFBB Bodybuilding up to 80 kg category world champion: Masashi SUZUKI (Japan).
80 kg – 2: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 80 kg category medal winners (from L to R): Seonghwan KIM (2nd place); Masashi SUZUKI (1st place); Ariel GUONG (3rd place).
80 kg – 3: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 80 kg category finalists (from L to R): Hamed FARAHANI (6th place); Radoslav ANGELOV (4th place); Seonghwan KIM (2nd place); Masashi SUZUKI (1st place); Ariel GUONG (3rd place); Fábio LOPES (5th place).
Up to 85 kg category:
The next category, where distribution of medals were an internal matter between three Asian bodybuilders. Following his first world title won in Marrakech in 2013 in 75 kg class, Sajad Niknampour (Iran) returned to the throne in 2015 winning the 80 kg category and now we could see him fighting in 85 kg class. The result was satisfying to him as he won all rounds and the third world title in his sport career. The next two places went to less-known athletes: Haitham Al-Zadjali (Oman) and Nasser Alsayyed (Kuwait). New talents won two medals! Then the current European champion Ott Kiivikas (Estonia) and Abel Martin of Spain, who repeated his result from 2013 (5th place).
Pictures:
85 kg – 1: 2016 IFBB Bodybuilding up to 85 kg category world champion: Sajad NIKNAMPOUR (Iran).
85 kg – 2: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 85 kg category medal winners (from L to R): Haitham AL-ZADJALI (2nd place); Sajad NIKNAMPOUR (1st place); Nasser ALSAYYED (3rd place).
85 kg – 3: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 85 kg category finalists (from L to R): Salar MADADIVARZEGHANI (6th place); RadoslaOtt KIIVIKAS (4th place); Haitham AL-ZADJALI (2nd place); Sajad NIKNAMPOUR (1st place); Nasser ALSAYYED (3rd place); Abel MARTIN (5th place).
Up to 90 kg category:
For Hossein Kalateh of Iran it was his second start at the World Championships after his 6th place in 80 kg category last year. Weighing exactly 10 kg more, he easily won all rounds and the gold medal. Silver medal went to other continent, to Brazil, won by world Championships debutant Carlos Pereira, after the very close battle against two Europeans: Grego Francisca (Netherlands) and Joel Pascua (Norway). Francisca was the best among them in the routine round but still lost by 2 points to Pereira. Pascua only 1 point behind him. Then two Asian bodybuilders: Saeed Yaznabad (Iran) and Myonghun Kim (Korea). Just 1 point behind the finals former European Classic Bodybuilding overall winner and Arnold Europe winner Tomas Bendoraitis (Lithuania) will promisingly debut in bodybuilding.
Pictures:
90 kg – 1: 2016 IFBB Bodybuilding up to 90 kg category world champion: Hossein KALATEH (Iran).
90 kg – 2: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 90 kg category medal winners (from L to R): Carlos PEREIRA (2nd place); Hossein KALATEH (1st place); Grego FRANCISCA (3rd place).
90 kg – 3: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 90 kg category finalists (from L to R): Myonghun KIM (6th place); Joel PASCUA (4th place); Carlos PEREIRA (2nd place); Hossein KALATEH (1st place); Grego FRANCISCA (3rd place); Saeed YAZNABAD (5th place).
Up to 95 kg category:
Two Iranian and two Spanish bodybuilders in the finals plus last year’s world champion Szymon Lada (Poland) and former European Championships overall winner Peter Tatarka (Slovakia). Lada did his best to keep the title and even won the routine round but it was not enough to win over last year’s bronze medal winner and 2015 Asian Championships overall winner Jafar Ghaffarnezhad and current Asian champion Meysam Keshvari (both of Iran). Then, top 2 from the latest European Championships: Manuel Cañadillas and Luis Llorente (both od Spain), with Tatarka closing the order of the finalists. Former World Classic Bodybuilding Championships runner-up Tomasz Kornalewski (Poland) in 9th place, just ahead of the Former World Games winner Jinho Lee (Korea).
Pictures:
95 kg – 1: 2016 IFBB Bodybuilding up to 95 kg category world champion: Jafar GHAFFARNEZHAD (Iran).
95 kg – 2: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 95 kg category medal winners (from L to R): Meysam KESHVARI (2nd place); Jafar GHAFFARNEZHAD (1st place); Szymon LADA (3rd place).
95 kg – 3: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 95 kg category finalists (from L to R): Peter TATARKA (6th place); Manuel CAÑADILLAS (4th place); Meysam KESHVARI (2nd place); Jafar GHAFFARNEZHAD (1st place); Szymon LADA (3rd place); Luis LLORENTE (5th place).
Up to 100 kg category:
The next category dominated by two Iranian bodybuilders. Behrooz Abarghani appeared internationally in 2014, finishing 3rd at the IFBB World Junior & Maters Championships in Morelia, Mexico. Still junior, 23, he came to Benidorm and clearly won all rounds over so famous champions like 2013 Worlds runner-up Hassan Khosravi (Iran) and 2014 world champion Eslam Mohammed Elmasry (Egypt). Elmasry was the runner-up after the semifinals but then slightly lost both final rounds to Khosravi. Reza Kakavand (Azerbaijan) placed 4th after the first round but then dropped to 5th position, behind Marti Pozzi of Spain. Former world classic bodybuilding overall champion Andriy Kukharchuk was the last finalist in the 6th place.
Pictures:
100 kg – 1: 2016 IFBB Bodybuilding up to 100 kg category world champion: Behrooz ABARGHANI (Iran).
100 kg – 2: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 100 kg category medal winners (from L to R): Hassan KHOSRAVI (2nd place); Behrooz ABARGHANI (1st place); Eslam Mohammed ELMASRY (3rd place).
100 kg – 3: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships up to 100 kg category finalists (from L to R): Andriy KUKHARCHUK (6th place); Marti POZZI (4th place); Hassan KHOSRAVI (2nd place); Behrooz ABARGHANI (1st place); Eslam Mohammed ELMASRY (3rd place); Reza KAKAVAND (5th place).
Over 100 kg category:
2014 world champion Attia Shaalan (Egypt) and bronze medal winner Andrzej Kolodziejczyk (Poland) tried to regain their positions but met two equal quality opponents: Arnold Europe runner-up Jordi Martinez (Spain) and 2015 World Championships 4th place winner Mohsen Samadi (Iran). The battle was very tough. Martinez and Shaalan were tied 9:9 in the semifinals but then Martinez won the next two rounds and was declared the winner. Shaalan placed 2nd in the second round but lost to Samadi in the routine round, being tied with Kolodziejczyk. Finally, he kept his runner-up position, ahead of Samadi and Kolodziejczyk. Watching his behaviour during the awarding ceremony I can only dedicate him this excerpt from the IFBB Code of Ethics – “We, the athletes, pledge ourselves to accept the decisions of the judges, officials and administrators in the spirit of good sportsmanship without descending to selfish recriminations, realizing that these decisions have been made honestly, fairly, and objectively.”
The next two places went to: European champion Adam Kozyra (Ukraine) and former Balkan champion Yuliy Rusev (Bulgaria).
Pictures:
Over 100 kg – 1: 2016 IFBB Bodybuilding over 100 kg category world champion: Jordi MARTINEZ (Spain).
Over 100 kg – 2: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships over 100 kg category medal winners (from L to R): Attia SHAALAN (2nd place); Jordi MARTINEZ (1st place); Mohsen SAMADI (3rd place).
Over 100 kg – 3: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships over 100 kg category finalists (from L to R): Yuliy RUSEV (6th place); Andrzej KOLODZIEJCZYK (4th place); Attia SHAALAN (2nd place); Jordi MARTINEZ (1st place); Mohsen SAMADI (3rd place); Adam KOZYRA (5th place).
Overall:
Sensational winner was Iranian junior Behrooz ABARGHANI, who won by 3 points over Jordi MARTINEZ (Spain). Then Jafar GHAFFARNEZHAD and Sajad NIKNAMPOUR (both of Iran)
Pictures:
Overall – 1: 2016 IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships overall winner Behrooz ABARGHANI (Iran) congratulated by IFBB President Dr. Rafael SANTONJA (second from right), IFBB Judges Committee Chairman Pawel FILLEBORN (second from left), Iranian Federation President Nasser POURALIFARD (far left) and Manuel SANTONJA (far right).
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