What amateur bodybuilder doesn't dream of standing on the very same stage where Arnold Schwarzenegger won his first contest on U.S. soil? The same stage where years later, men like Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman, Flex Wheeler, Shawn Ray, Kevin Levrone, Rich Gaspari, Dexter and Victor would be crowned Arnold Classic Champion? Last year the dream became reality with the inception of the Arnold Amateur Championships, an NPC event. This year, it became an IFBB contest and invited amateurs from around the world to participate. They certainly jumped at the opportunity, as some of the best bodybuilding talent from such far-flung nations as Brazil, Malaysia, Poland, Mexico, Canada, Norway, Lithuania, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Sweden journeyed to Columbus, Ohio. Though several Americans held their own against the onslaught from overseas, most were overwhelmed by the condition and polish of their rivals. Truth be told, there were several men and women in the contest that had earned pro status anywhere from one to a half-dozen times, yet chose to remain amateurs. In many countries, amateur bodybuilders are paid and sponsored, yet once they turn pro these opportunities dry up. So ironically, it's actually easier to make a living in many parts of the world as a top amateur bodybuilder than it is for a pro!

Women's lightweight

This division was a slam-dunk for New Zealand's Joanne Stewart, last year's IFBB World Masters champion. The petite blonde had a very proportionate and compact physique with killer conditioning.

Women's middleweight

I was fairly shocked when this class was awarded to Holly Nicholson of Las Vegas, who had taken second at the premier edition of this show in 2007.Taking nothing away from Holly, but her relatively lanky build and lack of sharp conditioning seemed in contrast to the judging standards followed for the rest of the contest. In contrast, Michigan's Alicia St. Germaine, the 2005 NPC Junior National Lightheavyweight winner, was much more thickly developed. Her back and hamstrings in particular were standouts, and her condition was sharper. My only guess is that the judges decided to go for a softer, more traditionally feminine look. 

Women's heavyweight

From the second this class filed out for judging Friday morning, there was never a moment of doubt that Maria Carmen Gomez Segura of Mexico had it all locked up. If the name sounds familiar, it's because she won the light-heavy and Overall titles at the IFBB North American late last summer. Facially, Maria resembles the pro bodybuilder Betty Viana from Venezuela, but she is a whole lot bigger. Her legs, in fact, made me want to call her the female Tom Platz. Segura packed a whole lot of muscle from head to toe, and with striated glutes topping off the wealth of mass.

Overall

The judges faced a tough decision, as both lightweight Stewart and heavyweight Segura both had brought razor-sharp cuts and great overall proportions. Would they be sending the wrong message by awarding the far more heavily muscled Mexican? Whatever debates surely took place in their minds and amongst each other, in the end Maria Segura was named the Overall Champion.

Men's bantamweight

Kentucky's DeWayne Sammons became one of just three Americans to win one of the ten divisions of the Arnold Amateur, taking the bantamweight class with a nicely balanced physique and great contest color.

Men's lightweight

This was the class where the audience sat up and started to wonder if they were watching an average amateur show or the Mr. Universe. Both of the two men battling for first place were definitely pro caliber. In the end, Malayasia's Sazali Samad took second place with one of the most pronounced X-frames I have ever seen. With wide lats, peaked biceps, flaring quads, and a real wasp waist, Sazali also has a long list of titles since he began competing in 1992, including four bantamweight wins at the IFBB Asian Championships, and four other class wins at the IFBB World Amateurs as both a bantam and more recently last year as a lightweight - all four of which qualified him for pro status. No doubt he would have easily taken this class if Brazil's Jose Carlos Santos hadn't also decided to do this show. Santos had been the IFBB World bantamweight champion on six different occasions, even doing the unheard of for a smaller guy and winning the Overall there in 2002 (other notables to win that same title include Dennis Wolf, Ahmad Haidar, and Tom Platz). Jose was the thicker man, and also had the edge in grainy, striated condition. The man's glutes had striations so deep you could swipe a debit card through them.

Men's welterweight

I wondered if the 2001 Mr. Mexico, Javier Reynoso, would win this division. He was one thick bastard, but the freak somehow managed to neglect his contest color. Not only was he too light, he appeared to have no posing oil at the judging. Reynoso was built like a tank, but he also had a bit of a wide waist. In contrast, Italy's Corrado Maggiore showcased his overall balance and conditioning with perfect color and a nice sheen of oil. I honestly had him as the clear winner, but the judges went with Reynoso. A pattern of size trumping other factors was becoming apparent.

Men's middleweight

Spaniard Arturo Casteneda swept the middleweights with thick muscles, great color, and ripped glutes. In fact, many of the top guys in the Arnold Amateur were in better condition than the majority of pro men competing the same weekend. Arturo had a killer front lat spread, crisp definition head to toe in his back poses, and deep quad separation. He also has one hell of an enthusiastic wife or girlfriend, because she was screaming encouragement at the top of her lungs in Spanish about three feet in back of me the whole time he was on stage.

Men's lightheavyweight

This was another slam-dunk from the instant this class came onstage. Brazil's Eduardo Correa, who also won the MD Cyber Classic, was just too good for anyone else to get near. He blew the class away with outstanding mass and deeply cross-striated quads and tri's. If he looks pro caliber, it's because he is - Correa won the middleweights at the 2007 IFBB World Amateurs but didn't take the pro card. I assumed runner-up Pierre Chamoun of Sweden was going to be penalized for some very odd and suspicious-looking arms, but obviously he wasn't. Special mention should go to James Llewellin in fifth place, who had barely missed making the finals of the MD Cyber Classic. James won the British middleweight title in 2005 and took second as a light-heavy last fall to overall champion James "Flex" Lewis.

Men's heavyweight

Oddly enough, after seeing so much depth and quality up to this point, the heavyweight class was a bit of a let-down. More than a few guys were simply tall and lanky, while others had good mass but were not in any type of condition (sadly, most of these dudes were Americans). Personally, I thought Peru's Mathew Stefan was the best of the group, though the judges ultimately had him third. Perhaps this was due to his long torso, or it could have been his bizarre haircut. Former Overall IFBB South American champion Jorge Asp from Argentina was the runner-up, and Benjamin Parra of California took the class.

Men's superheavyweight

The biggest of the big men came last, and it came down to two Europeans. Poland's Robert Piotrkowicz had won the IFBB Europe, and the IFBB World Amateur heavyweight title for the past two years, also clinching the overall title in 2007. I was impressed with his condition and his wide back, though I didn't think he appeared to be a true super-heavy. Tarek Elsetouhi, an Egyptian residing in Germany who was the runner-up at the MD Cyber Classic, was a much thicker man. He wasn't in peak condition, and his color was also not adequate. That wasn't enough to deter the judges from awarding the more massive Elsetouhi the class win.

Overall

I would have thought Light Heavyweight Eduardo Correa had the best overall package of all the sixty-plus men competing, but mass was the rule of this particular day. Giant Tarek Elsetouhi was named the Overall Arnold Amateur Bodybuilding Champion.

Final Men's Results

 FULL ARNOLD AMATEUR BODYBUIDLING PHOTO GALLERY