Many of the top leagues for different sports welcome athletes from other countries, but the games are predominantly held in one country or maybe two. The NBA and Major League Baseball are examples of this.
The IFBB Pro League has contests held all over the world, and this past weekend, some of the best bodybuilders in that league were competing in Watford in the United Kingdom at the British Grand Prix.
Like the other shows, the winner earns an automatic berth to the Mr. Olympia competition which takes place this September. The 2nd through 5th place finishers can earn points in the Olympia scoring system where other potential berths are on the line. Here’s how the posedown across the pond played out.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzWGbC-A3vH/
1st – Nathan DeAsha
DeAsha was undoubtedly the most well-known athlete on the stage and it’s for good reason. His physique is one of the best in the world as proven by his top 10 placings at the Olympia in the past. One might think the home stage advantage was what gave him the win until they see the physique. It did all the talking necessary. Huge arms, wide lats, sharp conditioning, and great posing were the keys to the win. He will now try to improve on his personal best 7th place at the Olympia when he competes in a couple months.
[Related: What a professional powerlifter thinks about bodybuilding.]
2nd – Samson Dauda
Dauda is already a good bodybuilder but against an athlete like DeAsha, he isn’t going to compare favorably. Once he improves his upper body and appears more confident onstage, his time will come. He certainly did his fellow UK athletes and fans proud being second here.
3rd – James Hollingshead
Outside of DeAsha, Hollingshead is one of the most popular Open bodybuilders in the UK. He’s competed four times now counting this show with this being his best placing yet. Staying in contest shape or close to it can take a toll on a physique so that may have been a factor in why he didn’t pull out the win here. DeAsha also has more mature muscle development which is hard to overcome.
4th – Milan Sadek
After placing 3rd in New York and 2nd in Puerto Rico, Sadek has another top five placing for this season. Unfortunately he would likely need to win a show if he wanted to qualify for the Olympia because he may not have enough points by season’s end. He either mistimed his prep and came in off or he had an unexpected issue before prejudging because he wasn’t as sharp as he has been like in Puerto Rico.
5th – Lukas Wyler
The native of Switzerland was just no match for the top four and the judges came to that same conclusion because he was fifth in both prejudging and finals. To be Top 5 at a pro show earns you respect and makes fans pay attention but it’s hard to stand out with the caliber of physiques he was compared to.
Featured image: @nathandeasha on Instagram
