Rhino’s Classic

by John Plummer

Photography by Kevin Horton

You can view and buy images from this show here. https://www.ukbffphotos.com/2022/RHINOS-CLASSIC-1

Alternatively you can buy all your photos as a package. Email ukbffphotos@gmail.com for details

The 2022 season ended on a high with a fantastic Rhino’s Classic at Stamford in Lincolnshire.

This was the fifth time Nick Swann has staged the event and the first time under the UKBFF banner.

Nick doesn’t do things by halves, which probably explains why he is a two-time Arnold Classic Europe champion and an IFBB world champion, and he applies the same rigor to his activities offstage.

The show therefore ran like clockwork in a fabulous old theatre in a beautiful town. The stage was well lit and there were great trophies, medals and bouquets of flowers for the females. No wonder so many competitors. spectators and sponsors support this show, which is named after Nick’s gym.

Here’s how the action on stage unfolded.

BODYBUILDING

Two-time British champion Tony Bailey is 50 years old now but remains a formidable competitor, as he proved here. Tony, a former British under-80kg and under-90kg champion, overcame the prettier structure of John Bone, with his superior leg mass helping him home. He then went up against the other bodybuilding champions for the overall title and finished first again. What a great competitor Tony is.

His closest challenger was Rus Ali, who was in a league of his own in the over-40s. Rus is always a formidable opponent but when he comes in ripped, as he did today, he is sensational. Over-40s runner-up Prezemyslaw Sicinski packed a lot of mass on his frame and third-placed Anthony Davies was in excellent shape, with glutes and hamstrings showing but Rus, who later doubled up by winning classic bodybuilding, has the total package.

Ukrainian Pavlo Sazonov, the over-90kg winner, spent six months fighting the Russian army this year so this was a bit of fun for him. He is seriously chunky, with huge legs, and has a nice shape isn’t bad either, and if he ever gets peeled he will be hard to beat.

Dean Larkin’s extra mass, especially in the lage and chest, helped him win a close under 80kg class against Anthony Davies.

Neal Wiles was the pick of a stacked over 50s class. He was big and hard, with feathered quads, to relegate Dariusz Zuk to second on his 56th birthday. Mark Taylor, in third, displayed a very classy physique but wasn’t quite in top nick.

Paulius Berzinskas has had quite a few months, picking up trophies galore in classic physique and classic bodybuilding. Today he was the clear winner in classic physique and pushed Rus Ali hard in classic bodybuilding, finishing his routines with the splits. Paulius is a confident performer with a quality package that he always dials in on show day.

Junior champion William Astill displayed a healthy-looking physique with good quads and back.

FEMALE CLASSES

Tall class bikini fitness winner Ashleigh Jackson is one of the leading women on the British scene today, always turning up with a polished routine and well-prepared physique. Last week she had to settle for second at the British Championships behind Sophie Dawson but this week she bounced back from the disappointment by reversing the result. Bikini fitness is all about balance and proportion and Ashleigh’s physique epitomises these qualities beautifully. Runner-up Sophie brings one hell of a package to the stage and has had a great year — there’s a lot more to come from her, she is a real talent.

Short class bikini fitness winner Agate Loce really worked the stage, showing plenty of sass and confidence and why not – she was in outstanding shape. Stunning runner-up Egle Ellie Adomaite would have won many qualifiers this year but this class was all quality.

Agate also won the masters division before returning on stage for the overall bikini fitness title where Ashleigh, from Redcar, was awarded the beautiful glass trophy. Both these women would grace an international stage.

The standard of bodyfitness has shot up in the last few events, and that trend continued here, where five women battled in the open category and seven in the masters division. A new talent emerged in Virginija Mazintience from nearby Peterborough, who had the most beautiful lines from every angle. Her legs were especially eye-catching, with her calves and hamstrings absolutely top notch.

That she relegated British champion Hayley Fenning to second place shows how good she was. Terri Barrett in third was also outstanding — fantastic condition, with so much detail, and excellent presentation.

Donna Allsop gave a strong showing in wellness, presenting an attractive look well suited to the class but Irina Bozenkova, who was in the top five at last week’s British finals, had a bit too much for her on the day, with a more developed lower body and excellent condition.

Claire Johnson continues to fly the flag for women’s physique with style and distinction. Over the last few weeks Claire has demonstrated not only a British title-winning physique but also that big girls can move, performing a series of brilliantly choreographed posing routines. She slowed it down this week in giving another display of high quality female muscle.

MEN’S PHYSIQUE

Kuldeep Chana lived up to his Instagram name of the Flying Turban by soaring to the overall men’s physique title. Kuldeep’s hot streak continued when he beat the full and round muscles of Billy Croson in the tall class and then defeated Matt Bicar for the overall. Kuldeep has the widest smile in the business as well a superb shape and is one of this year’s breakout stars.

So too is Matt Bicar, who claimed his third height class victory in the space of a month. The fact that he’s turned up in great shape at all of them is a testament to his discipline as well as the quality of his tapered physique.

Seasoned competitor Alex Lemos looked sharp and shapely to take the masters and Charley Darby won the juniors

RESULTS

OVERALL BIKINI FITNESS CHAMPION — Ashleigh Jackson

OVERALL MEN’S PHYSIQUE CHAMPION — Kuldeep Chana

OVERALL BODYBUILDING CHAMPION — Tony Bailey

Junior Bodybuilding

1 William Astill

Masters over-40

1 Rus Ali

2 Prezemyslaw Sicinski

3 Anthony Davies

Also competed: Lucas Queiroz and Doru Burlacu

Masters over-50

1 Neal Wiles

2 Dariusz Zuk

3 Mark Taylor

also competed: Jeremy Brown, Ian Southcott, Richard Hurst, Jeremy Brown and Jonathan Hughes

Bikini Fitness Short

1 Agate Loce

2 Egle Ellie Adomaite

3 Holly Pepper

Bikini Fitness Tall

1 Ashleigh Jackson

2 Sophie Dawson

3 Leyla Dyminska

also competed Lauren Nelson and Libby Mace

Masters Bikini Fitness

1 Agate Loce

2 Egle Ellie Adomaite

3 Ausrine Jasiuniene

Junior Men’s Physique

1 Charley Darby

Men’s Physique Short

1 Matt Bicar

2 Shaun Monty

3 Diogo Moraes

also competed: Istvan Szilard Csaki and Kurt Brogan

Men’s Physique Tall

1 Kuldeep Chana

2 Billy Croson

3 Viorel Adrian

also competed: Felix Habarugira, Mark Bone, John Keating, Niall Moore, Gareth Jones and Onur Deyirenci

Masters Men’s Physique

1 Alex Lemos

2 Gareth Jones

3 Felix Habarugira

also competed: Neil Cornwell, Istvan Szilard Csaki, Lee Rankin and Kurt Brogan

Classic Physique

1 Paulius Berzinskas

2 Ben Parry

Bodyfitness

1 Virginija Mazintience

2 Hayley Fenning

3 Terri Barrett

also competed: Amy Cole and Carol Kewley

Masters Bodyfitness

1 Virginija Mazintience

2 Hayley Fenning

3 Terri Barrett

also competed: Althea Bailey, Helen Robson, Carol Kewley and Amy Cole

Wellness

1 Irina Bozenkova

2 Donna Allsop

Women’s Physique

1 Claire Johnson

Intermediate Bodybuilding

1 Jamie Burman

Classic Bodybuilding

1 Rus Ali

2 Paulius Berzinskas

3 Martin Mydra

Also competed: Ben Parry, Szymon Mordas and Aaron Murphy

Bodybuilding under 80kg

1 Dean Larkin

2 Anthony Davies

Bodybuilding under 90kg

1 Tony Bailey

2 John Bone

3 Richard Hurst

Bodybuilding over 90kg

1 Pavlo Sazonov

2 Szymon Skorski

RHINO'S CLASSIC