Toney Freeman edges out Silvio Samuel to win the 2007 Sacramento Pro
Written by: Michael Berg
He wasn't as sharp as he was a week before, but Toney Freeman's stellar "X" frame was enough to get him the nod at the 2007 Sacramento Pro over hard - charging Silvio Samuel. Freeman, who won the Ironman Pro February 17 to kick off the IFBB season, has, in the course of a year, gone from a bodybuilding journeyman to a legitimate top-tier contender with three pro titles to his credit.
Meanwhile, Samuel, unfairly overlooked during an Ironman that was almost bereft of prejudging callouts, this time benefited from a judging panel who made sure everyone got their due in the comparison round. The 31-year-old Spaniard has unarguably been the biggest surprise to emerge in 2007 - while he showed promise in prior competitions, he never quite hit his peak. Now working with Milos Sarcev, Samuel is a superstar in the making.
In third was another victim of the Ironman judging - Japan's Hidetada Yamagishi, who in the process got that all-important Olympia nod, leaving Florida resident Ahmad Haidar on the outside looking in. Hopefully, Haidar can earn an invite to the O in an upcoming show - the ultra-symmetrical Lebanese lion deserved better than he got the past two weeks.
Rounding out the top five, and repeating his placing of seven days before, was Marcus Haley, despite the fact he improved greatly over the course of a week and had a crowd-favorite pop-and-lock posing routine.
On the women's side, Heather Policky, 2006 USA heavyweight and overall champ made the most of her pro debut, winning the heavyweight and overall title over lightweight champ Antoinette Norman. Once again, as was a pattern last year, the judging panel rewarded mass, as Policky had size and cuts in spades. Norman, meanwhile, has a beautifully aesthetic physique - Policky is on her way to the Arnold Classic, and hopefully Norman will get that call as well, as she definitely would be a great addition to the Ms. International lineup.
For a complete recap of the prejudging and final rounds, visit the flexonline contest blog at "http://updates.mrolympia.com/"
updates.mrolympia.com/. And be sure to tune in next week to the free Arnold Classic webcast, presented live by bodybuilding.com and flexonline.com - can Dexter Jackson defend his Arnold title, or will he be knocked off the throne by Victor Martinez, Toney Freeman, Branch Warren, Phil Heath, or any one of the other high-caliber bodybuilders headed to Columbus, Ohio? The action starts Saturday afternoon, March 3.
2007 Sacramento Pro Finals
February 24, 2007
Sacramento, California
Men's Bodybuilding Results
17) Clifton Torres
16) Rod Ketchens
15) Eryk Bui
14) Aiman Faour
13) Roc Shabazz
12) Sergey Shelestov
11) Rusty Jeffers
10) Daniele Seccarecci
9) Omar Deckard
8) Joel Stubbs
7) Moe Elmoussawi
6) Kris Dim
5) Marcus Haley
4) Ahmad Haidar
3) Hidetada Yamagishi
2) Silvio Samuel
1) Toney Freeman
Women's Bodybuilding
Heavyweights:
8) Aurelia Grozajova
7) Irene Anderson
6) Heather Foster
5) Helen Bouchard
4) Mah-Ann Mendoza
3) Brenda Raganot
2) Kim Perez
1) Heather Policky
Lightweights:
6) Carla Salotti
5) Angela Debatin
4) Gayle Moher
3) Vicki Nixon
2) Cathy Lefrancois
1) Antoinette Norman
Prejudging report
In some ways, a week has made a world of difference, although the final result may remain the same. In last Saturday's Ironman Pro, a dearth of callouts in the first round left a number of deserving bodybuilders out in the cold, but the athletes shunned by judges then are getting their chances now in Sacramento.
Toney Freeman, the Ironman champ, isn't quite as conditioned as he was in that win, but he may still have enough to pull out the victory over rock-hard Silvio Samuel. The Spaniard is extremely impressive, just as he was in Pasadena when he took fourth. Instead of waiting until the final round for his opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the 40-year-old big man from Atlanta, he got plenty of looks standing next to Freeman during this afternoon's prejudging rounds - Samuel arguably could win this show based on the package he brought to the stage, but it would be a huge surprise if the judges see it that way.
Also finally getting their fair shake at the Crest Theater in downtown Sacramento are Japan's Hidetada Yamagishi and Ahmad Haidar, originally from Lebanon but now living in Florida, who are both hoping to secure an Olympia berth. They are in a close race for third with Marcus Haley, who is much improved over last week, when he was fifth.
Meanwhile, in the first women's bodybuilding contest of the year, the lightweight class is shaping up into a showdown between Cathy LeFrancois and Antoinette Norman, while the heavyweight title seems to be a race between Kim Perez and Heather Policky. I would give Norman the edge in the lightweights because of superior structure, but both women have exemplary physiques and represent a good direction for women's bodybuilding if indeed their success represented a judging trend (which is likely not the case, based on recent history); in the heavyweights, Policky has a potent blend of size and conditioning, but Perez is much better aesthetically and has a compact, stellar midsection.
