Darium Tissenbaum is the 2023 Adela Garcia Classic Pro Fitness champion. Tissenbaum outperformed a field of eight other competitors to earn the qualification for the 2023 Fitness Olympia in Orlando, FL, on Nov. 2-5, 2023.
Amber Steffen ranked second, and Aurika Tyrgale, the only non-American in the field, placed third. The final placings for all nine athletes are below:
2023 Adela Garcia Classic Pro — Fitness Division
- Darrian Tissenbaum (USA)
- Amber Steffen (USA)
- Aurika Tyrgale (Russia)
- Savahannah Byczek (USA)
- Ashley Downes (USA)
- Amanda Sink (USA)
- Marlaina Shrives (USA)
- Ellie Ambs (USA)
- Leila Hughel-Deeds (USA)
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Winner — Darrian Tissenbaum
The Fitness division is scored differently than other divisions, as two-thirds of the score is based on the performance routine that comes after the physique comparisons in prejudging. Tissenbaum won both rounds of judging at this contest.
This was Tissenbaum’s first pro contest since placing eighth at the 2021 Fitness Olympia. This is her fourth pro win in 11 seasons. She will make her fifth Olympia appearance in 2023 in Orlando.
Second Place — Amber Steffen
Steffen was absent from the sport for almost four years before returning via this contest to a runner-up finish. How to qualify for the Olympia has changed in that time: only pro show winners qualify for the 2023 Olympia, so Steffen will have to compete again to reach the big stage.
Third Place — Aurika Tyrgale
Tyrgale may have been the favorite entering this contest, given that she competed at the 2022 Fitness Olympia, though she placed outside of the top 15. However, she had won the 2022 Tampa Pro before then.
Some judges scored her in second place during the performance round, but she finished five points behind Steffen on the final scorecards.
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Other Notes
With Tissenbaum’s victory, she joins 2022 Fitness Olympia champion Missy Truscott, runner-up Jaclyn Baker, and 2023 Fitness International winner Ariel Khadr as the fourth athlete to qualify for the Olympia.
This was the second Fitness division contest of the 2023 season. The next is the Body Be 1 Classic Pro on Saturday, June 17, 2023, in Montgomery, AL. The roster for that show has yet to be announced at the time of this article’s publication.
Featured image: @darr.tiss on Instagram