But first an important announcement: IFBB Judges Committee Chairman Pawel Filleborn confirmed that:



THERE WILL BE NO BODYFITNESS BLACK BIKINI ROUND IN KIEV !!!



Of course, there will still be two bikini rounds: prejudging and finals, but you don’t need to take black bikini and black shoes to Kiev. In both rounds competitors may wear their preferable color and style bikini costume and the same (or similar) high-heel shoes like to the final round. Of course, all other IFBB requirements regarding the costume and shoes should be met. It means that:



Platform shoes are strictly prohibited. In bodyfitness and in bikini fitness as well !!!

G-strings bikini bottom are also not allowed !!!

No metal ornaments and/or jewellery pieces on the body (navel, face).

Only earrings and/or wristlet.

OK, your bodies are enough beautiful by themselves. Some tanning and oil will add freshness and sheen to them.

NOW ABOUT BIKINI FITNESS STARS

All bikini fitness categories will be crowded. Altogether 104 athletes! Beside the short class, around 30 athletes in each of the other classes. And first time four bikini categories, with a new 158 cm class at the world level.

WOMEN’S BIKINI FITNESS UP TO 158 CM CATEGORY

NAME COUNTRY


  1. Elena Nadezhdina Russia
  2. Ekaterina Alekseeva (B) Russia
  3. Izabela Fiodarava Belarus
  4. Eleonora Alibayeva Ukraine
  5. Svitlana Sydorenko Ukraine
  6. Gisela Arenas Argentina
  7. Lizelle Horn South Africa
  8. Nikki Jenkins United Kingdom
  9. Iliyana Kostova Bulgaria
  10. Szimonetta Simon Hungary
  11. Sabina Plevakova Slovakia
  12. Iveta Kuglerova (B) Slovakia
  13. Valeria Ammirato Germany
  14. Jessica McMillan Canada


This is a new category, introduced this year, so no previous records. But some athletes participated in the 163 cm category last year. The most famous is Valeria Ammirato who finished 4th in Bialystok and then won the prestigious Amateur Bikini Olympia title in Prague. Then the current European champion Iveta Kuglerova and her team-mate, current European junior champion Sabina Plevakova who won over Kuglerova at the Slovak Nationals. And the next top world junior star, 2012 World Championships runner-up Eleonora Alibayeva, who won over Plevakova in Budapest. What a mixture! Girls have some “old bills to be settled”! Top emotions guaranteed!

Professional hair stylist and make-up artist Lizelle Horn from Pretoria entered the semifinals last year in Bialystok and, for sure, has higher aspiration this year. And what about the top two bikini fitness winners at the latest Eastern European Cup: Elena Nadezhdina and Ekaterina Alekseeva? Russian girls are not kidding, they look great and come to the contests to win medals. They have already proved that.

And what about the next girl Gisela Arenas (Cordoba, Argentina)? Gisela, who placed 5th at the inaugural Arnold Brazil, will have to cover the distance of 12 944 km to come to Kiev! Only from Sydney, Australia, is a bit farther.

WOMEN’S BIKINI FITNESS UP TO 163 CM CATEGORY



NAME COUNTRY


  1. Barbara Siew-Hwa Heng Australia
  2. Rawan Aalabi Lebanon
  3. Olga Guskova Russia
  4. Natalia Korotkova (B) Russia
  5. Tatiana Kreit Estonia
  6. Tatsiana Zhohla Belarus
  7. Alena Bukonkina (B) Belarus
  8. Katsiaryna Klyshevich (B) Belarus
  9. Daria Shevchenko Ukraine
  10. Katerina Tkachenko Ukraine
  11. Tatyana Prikhodko Ukraine
  12. Naiara Schubert Brazil
  13. Dora Adanic Croatia
  14. Lone Noras Norway
  15. Jeanette Elstad Norway
  16. Hürrem Ergin Turkey
  17. Hazal Mert Turkey
  18. Zelna Pretorius South Africa
  19. Anita Bekus United Kingdom
  20. Melinda Zsiga Hungary
  21. Ágnes Sebestyén (B) Hungary
  22. Magdalena Kazimirova Slovakia
  23. Monika Rosenbergerova (B) Slovakia
  24. Kathrin Kelemer Austria
  25. Anastasija Cherednicenko Latvia
  26. Hanna Garbos Poland
  27. Emma Ahonen Finland
  28. Diana Pivniceru Romania
  29. Imola Farkas Romania
  30. Laura Klimaviciene Lithuania
  31. Selina Rudel Germany


Higher category – longer list. Barbara Siew-Hwa Heng from Australia will have the longest distance to cover: over 14 900 km! Almost half of the Equator! She will have her international debut in Kiev but among more experienced competitors we can see a sensational overall winner of the 2012 European Championships in Zagreb, Magdalena Kazimirova, who then disappeared and now will be back. Not good news for her rivals… She pushed down the current European champion and her team-mate Monika Rosenbergerova to the Slovak “B-Team”.

Then, the runner-up from this Europeans Daria Shevchenko, so it will be a “return match” between them. Shevchenko placed 2nd at the prestigious World Ladies Cup in Kiev this spring, with Olga Guskova behind her and Olga will come to Kiev also. From the other continents, the first Arnold Brazil finalist Naiara Schubert and Zelna Pretorius who in August won a big contest in South Africa: Cellucor KZN Open Championships. I mentioned 7 names but what about the next 24 athletes? They were selected at the recently held National Federations qualifiers and if they entered National Teams it means they are very good in this sport and will seriously challenge the above mentioned well-known champions. And sometimes… they win (like the 2012 world champion in this category Amy Wright from Australia).


WOMEN’S BIKINI FITNESS UP TO 168 CM CATEGORY

NAME COUNTRY


  1. Alice Round Australia
  2. Ekaterina Usmanova Russia
  3. Svetlana Eregina (B) Russia
  4. Veronika Galiakbarova (B) Russia
  5. Marina Mitrofanova (B) Russia
  6. Olga Viazmetinova Ukraine
  7. Liudmila Diachuk Ukraine
  8. Olena Orap Ukraine
  9. Alena Burešová Czech Republic
  10. Maria Pomerantseva Czech Republic
  11. Christina Fjaere Norway
  12. Kerry Mathieson South Africa
  13. Georgia Simmons United Kingdom
  14. Maja Pavlovic Serbia
  15. Svetlana Lenivteva Moldova
  16. Daniela Todorova Bulgaria
  17. Tímea Varga Hungary
  18. Ana Fragoso Portugal
  19. Denisa Lipovska Slovakia
  20. Stanislava Pritrska (B) Slovakia
  21. Jekaterina Lasunska Latvia
  22. Olga Olafsdottir Iceland
  23. Margret Gnarr Iceland
  24. Sari Perälä Finland
  25. Anna Maier Germany
  26. Xenia Minnich Germany
  27. Sandra Falkenhain (B) Germany




Under the absence of the last year’s world champion Karina Antovska, her Slovak “shadow” Denisa Lipovska will appear as a main pretender to the title in Kiev. I wrote “shadow” because Denisa finished second, behind Antovska, at some major recent contests like 2013 European Championships and 2012 Amateur Olympia. But she will have to win over very good Russian and Ukrainian stars: 2012 World Ladies Cup overall winner Liudmila Diachuk, 2013 Arnold America 3rd place winner Olga Viazmetinova and top two girls from the latest Eastern European Cup in Krasnodar: Ekaterina Usmanova and Svetlana Eregina. Usmanova finished ahead of Viazmetinova at the recent European Championships and Eregina placed between Diachuk and Viazmetinova at the Ladies World Cup. And still moving up in the hierarchy Timea Vargha who lost by 1 point only to Ashley Pfaff at the recent Arnold North America in Category D, with 47 competitors in the line-up!

We can see that these top girls change their places from contest to contests and everything depends on the “shape of the day” and judges preferences.

Who can challenge the above well-known stars? 2013 world junior champion Christina Fjaere who has passed to the women’s category now, new South African star Kerry Mathieson, who is a very successful example of “before and after” stories and now hundreds of women in South Africa enthusiastically follow her? Maybe Portuguese champion Ana Fragoso and always very competitive girls from Iceland and Germany?



WOMEN’S BIKINI FITNESS OVER 168 CM CATEGORY



NAME COUNTRY


  1. Chrissie Herbert Australia
  2. Satoko Yamamoto Australia
  3. Natalia Nevskaya Russia
  4. Olga Putrova (B) Russia
  5. Egle Eller-Nabi Estonia
  6. Reet Reimets Estonia
  7. Iryna Hrynevich Belarus
  8. Volha Sereda Belarus
  9. Alla Semenova Ukraine
  10. Elena Guseva Ukraine
  11. Oksana Davydova Ukraine
  12. Marie Mikšová Czech Republic
  13. Radka Prášková Czech Republic
  14. Daiane Kulmann Brazil
  15. Candice van der Merwe South Africa
  16. Stefanie Juliana Netherlands
  17. Melissa Haywood United Kingdom
  18. Anastasia Ojog Moldova
  19. Daniela Calestru Moldova
  20. Corina Visan Moldova
  21. Ingrid Tamás Hungary
  22. Jana Majernikova Slovakia
  23. Andrea Lackner Austria
  24. Veronika Serzante Latvia
  25. Karen Richardsdottir Iceland
  26. Paula Banot Poland
  27. Sara Back Finland
  28. Sandra Syciova Lithuania
  29. Katrin Weisshaupt (B) Germany
  30. Ivana Cujova Spain
  31. Rasa Selemonaviciute Lithuania


The top three form the previous Worlds: Anna Virmajoki, Rhiannon Harris and Vladimira Krasova turned pro. Does it mean that the next three: Egle Eller-Nabi, Jana Majernikova and Sandra Syciova will move up to the medal zone? Not sure, sport is less predictable than mathematics. Of course, all three stars continue their successful careers: Majernikova won the latest European Championships, Egle Eller-Nabi finished 2nd at the 2013 Arnold North America and 3rd at the Arnold Europe, Syciova came 4th at the Amateur Olympia but… there are two next big names hungry for success: Elena Guseva and Melissa Haywood. Guseva won in a great style the World Ladies Cup ahead of Eller-Nabi but lost to Haywood at the 2013 Europeans, where Haywood was a leader after the semifinals (then slightly lost to Majernikova in the finals). And what about Alla Semenova (3rd at the 2013 Europeans and 3rd at the World Ladies Cup), the best South African athlete in this category Candice van der Merwe and top two at the Eastern European Cup: Natalia Nevskaya and Olga Putrova? Nevskaya entered the finals of the 2013 Arnold North America and Putrova of the 2013 European Championships. They proved their high potentials and may “explode” with top places in Kiev.

So, there are over 100 competitors and only 12 medals. In three categories a real success will be to enter the semifinal top 15. But if you are gifted with some basic predisposition to the physique sports, what is popularly named “the genetics”, the rest is your persistent work in a gym and… in the kitchen plus some patience. Such current bikini fitness greatest stars like Jana Majernikova, Elena Guseva, Liudmila Diachuk, Valeria Ammirato or Daria Shevchenko had been trying through years to win any medal, almost always finishing “just behind” the medal zone. But they were consistent, determined and confident. Their hard work and strong mind paid off and finally the “day of victory” had come and they won some major championships. Ronnie Coleman once said something like this – “I don’t care about my place at the contest, it mostly depends on the judges. More important for me is if I improved from my previous contest.” So, I wish all of you to improve your physique step by step and the day of your victory will come!


Pictures:

Photos: www.eastlabs.sk


Valeria Ammirato (Germany)


Iveta Kuglerova (Slovakia)


Lizelle Horn (South Africa)


Eleonora Alibayeva (Ukraine)


Magdalena Kazimirova (Slovakia)


Daria Shevchenko (Ukraine)


Olga Guskova (Russia)


Monika Rosenbergerova (Slovakia)


Svetlana Eregina (Russia)


Denisa Lipovska (Slovakia)


Liudmila Diachuk (Ukraine)


Ekaterina Usmanova (Russia)


Timea Vargha (Hungary)


Olga Viazmetinova (Ukraine)


Ana Fragoso (Portugal)


Jana Majernikova (Slovakia)


Elena Guseva (Ukraine)


Egle Eller-Nabi (Estonia)


Melissa Haywood (United Kingdom)


Sandra Syciova (Lithuania)


Alla Semenova (Ukraine)