The 2021 edition of the Tampa Pro — a qualifying event for the Olympia — took place on August 6-7 in Tampa, FL. Canada’s Iain Valerie was the last man standing as the Men’s Open champion. He is also now officially qualified for the 2021 Mr. Olympia, which will take place Oct. 7-10 in Orlando, FL.
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In spite of Roelly Winklaar committing to this show on social media, he did not appear in the lineup, having changed his mind before the weekend started. No reason for his absence was disclosed. There is also no word on if or when he will compete this season as of this writing. Even though Winklaar wasn’t there, the show went on, and contestants brought their best physiques to the stage. Here’s who made the Top 10 in this contest.
2021 Tampa Pro Bodybuilding Show Results
- Iain Valliere
- Phil Clahar
- Charles Griffin
- Maxx Charles
- Mohamed Shaaban
- Seung Chul Lee
- Joel Thomas
- Dorian Haywood
- Mohamed El Eman
- Jephte Cherenfeant
Winner — Iain Valliere
Valliere finished second in this contest to Hunter Labrada in 2020, but he got the top spot this year with brother-in-law Chris Bumstead watching on. He weighed in at 260 pounds on the morning of pre-judging, which he won with perfect scores from the judges.
His shoulders looked wider than they have in the past, and his waist appeared smaller as a result. He will look to improve on this look at his next contest — the 2021 Arnold Classic on Sept. 25 in Columbus, OH.
Second Place — Phil Clahar
Clahar was the big surprise of the show. His presence in the first callout was expected by some people in attendance, but him and Valliere being the final two was the shocker of the weekend. This was by far the best he ever looked. Unfortunately for him, Valliere’s density and size were too much to overcome.
Third Place — Charles Griffin
This was Griffin’s first appearance on stage this season. He represented himself well, but two things cost him a higher placing — height and size.
Valliere and Clahar were just too big and had great conditioning. His legs were very defined, and his arms stood out as well. If a man the size of Valliere wasn’t standing next to him, he could’ve potentially placed higher.
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The Clock Is Ticking to Qualify
Athletes who haven’t secured their spot at the Olympia are running out of time. There are only three Open shows left before Olympia qualifying is cut off. Here are the remaining contests on this season’s schedule.
- Texas Pro — August 13-14, Irving, TX
- Europa Pro — August 15, Alicante, Spain
- Arnold Classic — Sept. 25, Columbus, OH
Athletes that have not won contests after the Arnold Classic will have to be in the top three on the Olympia points standings to earn an invite to bodybuilding’s biggest stage.
Hunter Henderson Finishes Second in Pro Debut
Powerlifter and now pro bodybuilder Hunter Henderson made her IFBB Pro League debut in the women’s bodybuilding division at this contest. She certainly made her presence known thanks to being in the first and last callouts of prejudging. However, she came up just short of winning.
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The 2021 USA Champion placed second to Mona Poursaleh. This was Henderson’s third contest ever, and she’s already committed to competing again in 2022.
Other Division Winners
Professional contests were held in 10 divisions at this show. The other division winners are below, and they will all compete for their respective world titles at the Olympia this fall.
- 212 — Kerrith Bajjo
- Classic Physique — Urs Kalecinski
- Men’s Physique — Andre Ferguson
- Women’s Physique — Lenka Ferencukova
- Fitness — Aurika Tyrgale
- Figure — Larhannah Robinson
- Bikini — Elisa Pecini
- Wellness — Renee Jewett
Feature Image: Photo by Will Wittmann
