Barbados bodybuilders excelled at the Arnold Classic Brazil.

Head Coach of the Barbados National Bodybuilding and Physique Team Roger Boyce gave his team a 9.5/10 rating on their performance at the Arnold Classic Brazil in Sao Paulo last weekend.

He told Nation News:

“The team did great. We secured all Top 15 finishes, so it is a big plus for the respective disciplines. The standard was high. We had tough competition and the team generally rose to the challenge.”

Of the nine team members, six were top ten in their divisions.

Three of those- Shakira Doughlin (Bikini Fitness), Ramon Broomes (Open Bodybuilding) and Ramona Morgan (Figure) – made top 6.

Most of the competition came from Colombia, Chile, and Brazil, and Roger said every member of their team made great adjustments to win. He especially praised rookies Vanessa Jones (Bikini) and Kirk Alleyne (Bodybuilding).

“Vanessa, Dionne, everyone did great. All of them did personal bests. It is the best time that I have seen Ramon, Kirk and Ramona look. I am really happy with the team performance.”

When asked if he will be trying to recruit more competitors for next year, Boyce commented:

“It is not necessarily about going back with a bigger team, but with a team that can compete. We just don’t want to work on numbers.”

Broomes, winner of the 2017 Mr Bridgetown, is a 27-year-old personal trainer. He feels he has had issues performing at his best in the past, but is positive about his performance this year.

“I was back to something like my best form. I really brought a good package to this show. Knowing the level I was going up against, it was necessary. I was definitely in my best condition in a long time.”

Doughlin, the team veteran, was happy with her third place finish, a significant improvement over last year.

“This particular show, my focus was just on bringing it on stage. I worked very hard to ensure that my first show this year would be a stepping stone to summer. For me, I feel great to have made the top six and over the moon to crack the top three after only being in the top 15 last year…This show was monumental for the entire team. It was hard but everyone did well.”

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