TWO Dabawenya bikini athletes, both struggling with their own issues, came bouncing back big-time by topping the Natural Bodybuilding Bikini Category in Novice Division of the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation Philippines International Competition held in Tayabas, Quezon last Saturday, September 17, 2022.
The event is an international bodybuilding competition that highlights fitness, wellness, and its advocacy for drug-free sports.
Declared 2022 champion for the Bikini Novice Division is Debbie Joy Lumagod-Cantillo, a fitness coach cum fitmom, who gained weight during her pregnancy and has focused on becoming fit again while tending to her baby. This required keeping a close watch over her diet, self-discipline, and regular meditations, being a Pranic Healing practitioner.
Silver medalist in the same category is Angelika Gallero, a college student who was struggling with depression and anxiety and found working out in the gym as her coping mechanism.
In third place in the Novice Division is Phung Ngyuyen of Vietnam.
The two bikini athletes represented the Beefit Matina, Kenko, and RCV Strength and Conditioning Gym. Lumagod is part of the DM Fitness Coaches.
Overall champion after topping the Open Short Category is Katrina Isabel Hembrador aka Bella Dominguez. In second place in the Open Short is Imelda Walotka, while placing third is Ciara Marie Pacheco.
As overall champion, Hembrador also won a pro card.
In the Tall Category, the champion is Marielon Nicha. Winnie Yip copped second, while in third is Princess Almeria.
Meanwhile, Walotka is the sole contestant and awardee of the Bikini Master Category. Hembrador also topped the Bikini Juniors category while Nguyen bagged second place in the same category.
For the Physique Novice Short, Regie Dasig bagged first place. He is followed by Keendred Valdez (2nd), Noel Fuertes (3rd), Yrone Mike Boja (4th), and Vince Joshua Arellano (5th).
Joji Nagai topped the Physique Novice Medium, followed by Mark Joseph Purificacion (2nd), Paul James Caderao (3rd), Joel Adoptante (4th), and Jessie Andre Legarta (5th).
In the Physique Novice Tall, Landon Carson placed first while Jaime Luis Sy placed second. Rounding up the top five are Haikal Ahmad Shukri (3rd), Fernand Francis Lonzanida (4th), and Kirk Kierulf (5th).
Meanwhile, Judelio Yap clinched the Physique Grand Masters. Yap also placed second in Physique Masters. Topping the category was Mark Armand Altrecha.
Carson, who clinched the top spot in the Physique Novice Tall category, also placed first in the Physique Teen category. He bested Andrei Jan Pamandre (2nd) and Charles Ethan Javier (3rd).
In the Physique Juniors Short, Ronald Allan Reyes finished first place while Legarta came in second.
In the Physique Juniors Medium, Leejan Nacnac was declared first place. Also placed in the same category are Lonzanida (2nd) and Badr Naji (3rd).
Iñigo Abuel topped the Physique Juniors Tall besting Genesis Dela Cruz (2nd) and Tan Thai Ji (3rd).
In the Physique Open Short category, Yuvaprakash Angamuthu placed first and was followed by Jude Vincent Ricaplaza (2nd), Alfonso Miguel Que (3rd), Arnold Alcoran (4th), and Denzel Calayag (5th).
Physique Open Medium's top place went to Chi Wei Wan and was followed by Ping-Hsiu Wu (2nd), Erick Alfer Gonzales (3rd), Chun Hean Sim (4th), and Leejan Nacnac (5th).
Physique Open Tall first placer is Chia Hao Lu, followed by Po-Ling Tu (2nd), Abuel (3rd), Mark Calvin Tan (4th), and Glen Mar Garcia (5th).
The Physique Overall went to Chi Wei Wan.
For bodybuilding, Alfonso Poblador clinched the top spot for Novice LW category. Boja placed second while Arellano came in third.
Purificacion placed first in the Novice MW, followed by Kierulf in second, Miguel Vergel de Dios in third, and Nico Jean Veridiano in fourth.
Caderao topped the Novice HW while Mark Joseph Archie Esteban placed second and Michael Costiniano placed third.
In the Bodybuilding Masters category, the top spot went to Ariel Sillano with Mark Armand Altrecha placing second and Marinito Manzano Roga placing third.
Nacnac topped the Bodybuilding Juniors category while Abuel placed second and Genesis Dela Cruz placed third.
In the Open LW category, the top spot went to Calayag while Jaycie Dayot placed second and Roga placed third.
Que topped the Open M category for bodybuilding. Be bested Ramgevs Dela Peña in second, Yuvaprakash Angamuthu in third, and Jeromar Batasin in third.
Chia Hao Lu placed first in the Open H category. Coming in second was Ariel Sillano, Abuel in third, Jinyub Kim in fourth, and Magnus Villafuerte in fifth.
The Bodybuilding overall went to Chia Hao Lu. SAE