The 2013 IFBB Pro League season is in full swing this weekend, as a pair of contests take place in Australia and California will play host to some of the top competitors in the world.
AUSTRALIA GRAND PRIX XII – Melbourne, Australia
Three newly-crowned Arnold Classic champs make the trip Down Under this weekend, but don’t be surprised if at least one of those doesn’t start the season with back-to-back wins. The entire top three from a week ago will be on hand for both the Men’s Bodybuilding and Bikini divisions, while two of the top three from the Figure International will go pose-for-pose once again.
In Men’s Bodybuilding, Dexter Jackson will be looking for No. 4 for the second consecutive week. He tied Flex Wheeler’s record of four Arnold Classic wins a week ago in Columbus and now heads to Australia looking to break a tie with Chris Cormier (2001-2003) for the most wins in the history of that event. Jackson won in Australia in 2004 and in 2007-2008. Holding his condition while traveling has rarely posed problems for Jackson in the past, so Ben Pakulski (2nd at the Arnold Classic) and Toney Freeman (3rd at the Arnold Classic) will likely need to improve from last week in order to stand in Jackson’s way.
India Paulino won the biggest title of her career last week, finally cashing in at a major event after . She won’t get to rest on her laurels this week with both Nathalia Melo and Nicole Nagrani on hand. The Bikini division has consistently shown there are no sure things, as Paulino, Melo and Nagrani have traded placings the last few times they’ve met.
Erin Stern enters as the two-time defending champion in Figure, but she isn’t the favorite this time around. That distinction goes to Candice Keene, who won the Figure International a week ago. Stern finished third behind Keene and Heather Dees a week ago, the first time she failed to make the top two in a contest since 2009.
MUSCLECONTEST.COM BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS – Culver City, CA
Twenty-four competitors will vie for top honors in Culver City this weekend in what is shaping up to be one of the most talent-laden bikini lineups in Southern California history. The roster boasts several promising newcomers, including 2013 NPC USA Overall winner Kelsie Burgin and 2013 NPC Nationals Overall winner Angela Skeels.
Brittany Tacy, Narmin Assria and Stacey Alexander each won contests a year ago, while several others – including Tiffany Marie Boydston and Taylor Matheny – have top-five finishes on their resumes.
COMPETITOR LISTS
AUSTRALIA GRAND PRIX
MEN’S BODYBUILDING
FIGURE
BIKINI
MUSCLECONTEST.COM BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
