Written by Adina Zanolli
01 September 2013

Abbaspour Wins!

Finals Report from Finland

12finland-winner

The last Olympia qualification was up for grabs this weekend at the 2013 Nordic Pro. Here's a round-up of of your top five from Lahti, Finland.

FIRST PLACE
This show did not belong to Baitollah Abbaspour going in. He came in under the radar and caught many by surprise. He's not the tallest guy. He's not the guy with the most muscle. He was the most complete bodybuilder in the line-up -that's what Baito was. He had a good amount of muscle, as did many in the show.  He simply out-conditioned the line-up. He was shredded, he was peeled, he had size....and he could hit a vacuum. In a line-up that was lacking in the traditional European look of hard, ripped, and peeled, the fact that he could hit a vacuum separated him out and landed him a perfect score for the night.

 

SECOND PLACE
Lionel Beyeke was the man to beat going in, but that could have something to do with him being the most familiar name in the line-up. He's shown up in better condition after working with IFBB Pro Dennis James the last two shows, but he's still not quite there. Many believe he's holding his best for the Olympia stage, four weeks from now. With the God-given aesthetics he possesses, he will be a force to be reckoned with when he dials it in. As for this show, he had Baito on genetics - his structure and v-taper were far superior. Of this, there is no doubt. However, he did not have Baito on condition, and that's what won this show.

 

THIRD PLACE
Many were happy to see Aliaksel Shabunia move into the top of the line-up after having failed to make it to the first callout in Tampa and Dallas. He packs a lot of muscle and comes in condition at every show. Hopefully, this marks an upward trend in Shabunia's career. I've not seen him compete in person three times now, and can honestly say he's improved with each show.

 

FOURTH PLACE
There was no doubt that many were excited to see Alexey Lesukov making his IFBB Pro debut. He had fans in the crowd who went crazy the moment he stepped onto that stage. But that's where the excitement ends. Yes, he has tons of size to be so young. Yes, pound-per-pound, he likely had the most muscle on stage. What he didn't have was condition. While he could have moved up into third if you looked at him strictly from the front, he also could have moved down a place or two once he turned to the back. And if shows are won from the back, there's one of your reasons behind his fourth place finish.

 

FIFTH PLACE
Emiliano Dell'uomo had a good showing here. No, he didn't battle for the top spot, but he rounded out a very respectable top five. He's the Italian National Champ. If you went to the Arnold Classic last March, you may recognize him as the Arnold Classic Amateur Overall Champ. A win in that show is no small feat given the number of and quality of the competitors.

Congratulations to all of the men who competed in Finland. You can use the links below to check out all of Team MD's coverage of the 2013 Nordic Pro.

DISCUSS THE 2013 NORDIC PRO AT THE MD FORUMS

CHECK OUT THEM MD'S NORDIC PRO COVERAGE

2013 NORDIC PRO CONTEST GALLERY