A Few Surprises at Europa Show of Champions

By Joe Pietaro
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Updated: April 21, 2009

Bodybuilding is not unlike any other sport. Where as any team can win on any given Sunday, so is the case in the Iron Game. Take the 2009 Europa Show of Champions as an example. Troy Alves, who finished way back of the pack (11th) at the Iron Man Pro a few months ago, took the top spot. The 41-year-old won his first professional show and has only broken the top three on three occasions since 1996.

Hidetada Yamagishi was the runner-up and many people felt that he should have won the show. The two other popular names, Darrem Charles and Sergey Shelestov, finished third and fourth, respectively.

In the fitness competition, Shannon Meteraud finished in first place for the second time in two weeks after also winning the New York Metropolitan on April 11. After placing in the top six at the Ms. International (Arnold Classic), she has continued to impress with her performance and appearance.

The placings after that were a bit on the puzzling side if you go by what happened in New York City recently. In Orlando, Myriam Capes took second after finishing fifth at the New York Metro, and Tina Durkin fell two spots from third to fifth. Mindi O’Brien, who did not participate in Manhattan, made the top three at the Europa. Erin Riley actually moved up from sixth to fourth against a stronger field of competitors.

Nicole Wilkins Lee won the figure, with Heather Mae French and Monica Brant-Peckham following. Lee did well for herself after placing eighth in Ohio, as did French (seventh) and Brant (sixth) from back in March. The figure was, perhaps, the only predictable top three throughout the whole weekend in Florida.