2001 Ironman Pro Invitational

1st place was Chris Cormier (at 260lbs) who had it won from when he first came out on stage. He just pointed to the deep cuts in his quads and it blew everyone else away! His back was also fantastic with a degree of width and definition which was near perfection and will surely challenge Ronnie in both the Arnold Classic and the Olympia later this year. He is heir apparent. Chris's routine was complete with his signature buttocks wobble pose sort of like a belly dancer but done with the rear! Sadly Flex Wheeler has pulled out of all the GPs and Arnold Classic in this present period.
2nd place was Marvellous Melvin Anthony. He had a classic physique with very few faults and was somewhat of a smaller version of Cormier. Melvin also had a sensational lat spread and one of the best posing routines in the contest and is a protégé of John Brown's school of master posing. Anthony is a quite new pro and displayed good definition and wonderful condition and is destined for major victories in the future.
3rd was another new pro called Shari King Kamali. This man is a sensation! Born in Iran he had a perfect tan and showed a degree of professionalism and aggression not displayed by most of his fellow competitors. His sheer determination and raw aggression marks him as a man also to watch for future greatness. This was his first pro show and this 3rd placing has got him an Olympia entry for this October. I felt his great strength was his overall symmetry and excellent condition. He joins the elite few who have qualified for the Olympia in their first Pro outing.
A word on his posing - it was the most entertaining routine of the night in a similar vein to Vince Taylor's posing style. He lives in Washington DC and looks forward to the Arnold in 2 weeks time.
4th and just outside the Olympia qualification was J.D. Dawodu from UK. He was in the best condition of his life and so gained his highest pro show placing. It was only the symmetry round that let him down a bit as his arms, back and delts were not bettered by anyone. In fact I feel J.D. has probably the most perfectly shaped arms in BB along with Lee Priest.
5th was Craig Titus and this was the first time I have taped him in a contest. Judges told me this was the best he has looked for 2 years and is now back and ready to push the top guys. He has a great physique while he is not as tall as some of his peers. But he makes up for it with a very positive and determined attitude on stage and had excellent condition and posed his arms to great effect.
6th was Garrett Downing and 7th was Lee Priest who was recovering from illness and was extremely brave to compete at all. Under the circumstances Lee looked outstanding and posed with great style.
Impromptu guest poser was Jay Cutler at around 280 pounds!
It was a wonderful contest with 25 competitors and was professionally run in every detail. I complement John Balik and Mike Neveux and all the IM staff for a superb event and Mike Neveux's lighting was the best contest lighting I have ever worked under.
To have a look at the article on Lee Priest's health - click here: For an in-depth interview with King Kamali click here.