The weekend of August 14-15 was a special one for bodybuilding fans — two contests took place in different parts of the world. Iain Valliere kicked off the weekend by winning the Texas Pro show. And then, on Sunday, the focus of the sport shifted to Alicante, Spain, where the 2021 Europa Pro contest took place.
This one is unique because the top two finishers in the Men’s Open qualify for the Mr. Olympia contest, taking place October 7-10 in Orlando, FL. In the end, it was Nathan DeAsha and Roelly Winklaar who finished in first and second place, respectively. Here are the top 10 finishers for this contest.
- Nathan DeAsha
- Roelly Winklaar
- Tim Budesheim
- Vlad Suhoruchko
- Sarhan Sarhan
- Theo Legurrier
- Mohammad Alnsoor
- Robert Taylor
- David Hoffman
- James Bondi
Winner — Nathan DeAsha
The former British Grand Prix winner appeared to be significantly bigger than the last time fans saw him at the 2019 Monsterzym Pro. Even with that size, he maintained his trademark symmetry and definition. Specifically, DeAsha was very impressive during his back poses such as the rear lat spread and back double biceps.
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Thanks to securing his seventh professional victory, he will make his fourth career appearance at the Olympia and his first since 2018 when he placed eighth. The native of Liverpool will also compete in the inaugural Arnold Classic UK contest, which takes place one week before the Olympia (Oct. 2, 2021) in Birmingham. If he was to win that contest, then he would qualify for the 2022 Mr. Olympia, too.
Second Place — Roelly Winklaar
Winklaar’s skin appeared to be much tighter at this show than he was in Chicago — a sign of a successful peak. He looked bigger than DeAsha, and his arms were as large as ever. Though his conditioning was on point, Winklaar’s posing was a little slow compared to DeAsha. At the elite level, minor details like those can be the difference between first and second place.
The good news for the man from Curacao is that he secured the second Olympia qualification. After missing the 2020 contest due to testing positive for COVID-19, he now knows he will be in Orlando for the 2021 edition. He will also be in the Arnold Classic USA contest on Saturday, September 25th.
Third Place — Tim Budesheim
The 31-year-old German competitor captured attention earlier this year when he placed second at the 2021 Mr. Big Evolution Pro contest, which was won by Andrea Presti. He proved that his placing at that show wasn’t a fluke by taking a top-three spot at this contest as well.
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Unfortunately for Budesheim, the points he earned in the Olympia Qualification Series for this show won’t be enough for him to move on to the Olympia.
Other Division Winners
This contest featured competitors in 10 different divisions. All of the winners will move on to the Olympia to compete for their respective world championships.
- 212 — Vladimir Yakolev
- Classic Physique — Fabian Mayr
- Men’s Physique — Youcef Anava
- Women’s Bodybuilding — Margita Zamonova
- Women’s Figure — Anne Mohn
- Fitness — Alix Small
- Figure — Anna Banks
- Bikini — Allison Testu
- Wellness — Julia Chitarra
Men’s Open Shows Left
And then there was one. The 2021 Arnold Classic is the last contest that offers a qualifying position for the Men’s Open division at the Olympia. Out of the 14 competitors that will be in the Arnold Classic lineup, eight have yet to earn Olympia qualifications. Those men are listed below.
- Lionel Beyeke
- Maxx Charles
- Seung Chul Lee
- Mohamed El Emam
- Steve Kuclo
- Cedric McMillan
- Hassan Mostafa
- Sergio Oliva Jr.
Featured Image: @nathandeasha2 on Instagram
