|
 By: Myron Mielke
From the first callout, it was clear that last year's champ, Dexter Jackson and Victor Martinez would be dueling it out for top honors at the 2007 Arnold Classic. The hype behind Heath was huge. Many thought he might pull off an amazing win. Others think he's overrated. One thing's for sure. Phil made his mark on the pro stage against some of our sport's best and held his own to again qualify for the Mr. Olympia. Here's how the judges placed all the competitors:
Most Muscular Award: Victor Martinez
Silvio, with a last-minute invite, proved to the world that he can mix it up with the big boys. When Samuel learns to control his breathing so his abdomen stays tight and when he learns to stand with his feet a little closer together, he'll be on his way to taking home a few titles at some of the smaller shows really soon.
I was hoping Phil Heath could pull out a miraculous upset and stay undefeated but that's because it would have made great story. Yeah, I know it wasn't realistic, but, nonetheless, it was fun considering the possibilities of such an upset. Personally, I think Heath had the most ideal physique in the entire show, but he didn't have the best physique according to today's judging standards. He's not big enough and not wide enough. That might have something to do with only having about five years of bodybuilding training under his belt. (I trained for five years before entering my first amateur show and Heath is already a pro, for crying out loud!) Give him another three or four years and another 20-30 pounds and he'll dominate every show he enters.
Gustavo had a strong finish in the prejudging. He battled his way up to fourth place and you could see him gain confidence as he posed. You could also see his energy drain out from him as he hit pose after pose in five of the callouts.
And speaking of the callouts, it made for an interesting show to witness the amount of callouts the judges made. IFBB pros have continually been asking to have more comparisons at competitions; at the 2007 Arnold Classic, they got them. There were only sixteen guys in the show, but take a look at all the callouts. In many shows it might be unnecessary to have this many callouts, but this one actually warranted it. It was very close and when you have this many quality athletes it makes it more difficult to make a decision to pick who really is best.
The X-Man held his conditioning for another week as he took the stage to try and win contest number three this year. Two out of three ain't bad! He looked incredible and wouldn't have surprised many if he had been called out in second place. Toney still has the Australian Pro to go. He might make it three out of four. That ain't bad either.
The Blade was visibly disappointed with his second-place finish. Who wouldn't be? He was trying to tie Cutler's record of three straight wins, but he got bumped by Martinez. It was very close and I might have given the nod to Dexter. I still think Dexter needs a little more size, though, and he's been sharper in previous shows.
I thought he might come in smooth, but Victor was on the money and in the money as it turns out. He was sharper at the Olympia, but was still good enough to squeak by Dexter and dethrone The Blade for his first Arnold Classic title. I have a feeling this won't be his last. Congrats on your win, Victor. Got any upsets planned for the fall that we should know about?
Markus Ruhl is huge! He just dwarfs the guys who stand next to him.
Oh, Henry! Where has your conditioning gone? You're bigger but not better.
Luke Wood held up to everyone's expectation of looking nothing like his photos posted on web sites a few weeks out.
Sergey Shelestov learned the importance of coloring between the afternoon and evening show. Thank goodness!
Former Arnold Classic Champion, Vince Taylor looks absolutely incredible despite being more than 50 years old!
We have to wait for another guy to come up the ranks and be the first undefeated pro! Webcast Replays:
Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
Related Articles
|
Silvio Samuel:
Click Image To Enlarge. 
Sign in for more FREE features and tools!
|
|
Give Us Feedback:
Report A ProblemSite Feedback |
Follow Us:
|
Bodybuilding.com Newsletter
Receive exciting features, |
