2017 Arnold Classic Champion Cedric McMillan will not have to worry about a special invite to compete in the 2020 Mr. Olympia contest. That’s because he has now earned an automatic qualification thanks to his winning effort at the 2019 Fit Parade Pro Grand Prix.
Fans in Budapest were treated to see a few Olympia level bodybuilders compete in one of the post Olympia tour shows that takes place every year. As a matter of fact, each of the top 3 competitors in this lineup either competed at the Olympia in Las Vegas, Nevada or were at least qualified to do so.
Winner – Cedric McMillan
Before the show took place, McMillan shared a video on Instagram that showed how he was looking while preparing for his next contest. McMillan doesn’t post on social media often and it’s even rarer that he does posing posts before he competes onstage so the post had fans interested.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3evXZaHrPp/
He had failed to qualify for the 2019 Mr. Olympia in part due to military commitments so the IFBB Pro League offered him a special invite in August. He was considered far from his best in Las Vegas and finished the Olympia in 7th place. As a result, he became the subject of criticism and claims that he didn’t take his preparation seriously.
The social media post was likely his response to the criticism he received due to that invite. In the video, McMillan removes some clothing and performs three poses; the front double bicep, the side chest, and the back double biceps. Part of the caption on the post included him wanting to verify that he was committing to being “halfway decent” for the show.
“To whom it may concern… I, Cedric McMillan, post this video as digital verification that do look halfway decent before this show Sunday, just in case my body goes to s*** as it usually does when the anxiety kicks in.”
As for when he was actually onstage, McMillan wasn’t his best ever but he was the best in the lineup which is all that matters in bodybuilding competitions. Winning a show this far out from next year’s big contest means he could potentially take more time to focus on preparing for that show and not have to compete throughout the season.
2nd Place – Nathan DeAsha
DeAsha had competed on three occasions in the 2019 calendar year but the Olympia marks the ending of a season so the 2019 shows after that count toward the 2020 season. He won the British Grand Prix in his native United Kingdom and finished 2nd at the Vancouver Pro. He was qualified for the Olympia but was unable to compete due to a legal commitment.
As for this appearance, DeAsha’s overall appearance was similar to McMillan’s but McMillan is larger and taller so size would be the deciding factor. DeAsha was placed second in both prejudging and the finals to the winner. This was a one day show so there would be little time to make adjustments between the two rounds.
3rd Place – Lukas Osladil
Coming from the Czech Republic, Osladil has had a busy 2019 season. He has competed six times this calendar year and this is his second post-Olympia appearance. He finished third here and that is third time in that spot. His most recent placing was third at the Yamamoto Cup.
He placed 8th at the Olympia which was his highest placing in his career so while he hasn’t won a show, placing in the Top 10 in Las Vegas is certainly an accomplishment.
He didn’t look as good as he did at the Olympia and it may be due to having competed so many times. It can be tough to keep the muscles looking full and not depleted after so many appearances onstage without adequate rest. With two top five placings already this season and points accrued in the Olympia scoring system, he might take an offseason now to recover and prepare for shows next year.
4th Place – Marek Olejniczak
Olejniczak won a Masters pro show in Tampa earlier this year but this is his highest placing as a professional in the Open division. He turned pro in 2014 at the Amateur Olympia Moscow event. His conditioning was great and his best posing were when he was standing in the side positions. His goal was to place better at this show than he did when he won in Tampa. Some fans felt he accomplished that.
5th Place – Andrea Muzi
Muzi is coming off a 4th place finish at the Yamamoto Cup Pro show and was being compared to Olejniczak often at this event. There was only a one point difference on the scorecards which means at least a couple of judges saw him as being superior here.
Muzi has wide shoulders which helps him in the front poses. While his legs aren’t small, he appears upper body dominant in a few positions like the front lat spread.
2019 Fit Parade Pro Grand Prix Results
1st – Cedric McMillan
2nd – Nathan DeAsha
3rd – Lukas Osladil
4th – Marek Olejniczak
5th – Andrea Muzi
6th – Daniel Toth
7th – Maxx Charles
8th – Sergei Zebald
9th – Peter Porczi
Other Notes
Daniel Toth (6th) and Peter Porczi (9th) were the only men in this lineup that were from the host country of Hungary.
Each of the men who finish in 2nd through 5th places earn points in the Olympia Qualification system. Should they not win a show this season before the Olympia, the top three in points earn spots in the Olympia lineup.
There was a bikini contest at this show as well. Alessiaa Facchin of Italy emerged victorious with Evita Breide of Spain coming in 2nd. 3rd place went to Vivien Hupczik of Hungary.
Featured Image: Instagram/cedricmcmillan
