The bodybuilding world has been waiting for Todd Jewell to finally "put in together". The wait has ended. Jewell, a 30-year-old out of Yakima, Washington, was a crisp 265 pounds (at 6′) and dominated the balloting in both the Superheavyweight class and the Overall at the 2011 NPC Nationals at the Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami Beach over the weekend.
It was quite a turnaround from last year for Jewell, who found out after the 2010 event in Atlanta he had been suffering from appendicitis. He had surgery a couple of months after the show, and almost died from the infection that had spread throughout his body.
My pick to win the contest, An Nguyen, did cop the Heavyweight class to join all the class winners who can now apply for pro status. Nguyen still could be tighter, but the 5’8", 218-pounder from Los Angeles was sharper than the USA back in July, where he placed second.
In the only class that was rejudged at the finals, Marco Rivera switched places with Benny Brantley, who led after the Friday night prejudging, to nab the Light Heavyweight division.
Also getting an invite to the IFBB are Alan Bailey (MW), JB Bartlett (WW—another LT selection, as was Jewell), Luis Santiago (LW) and Ron Hackasper (BW).
In Men’s Physique, New York’s Matthew Acton took both class A and the Overall, besting Miguel Aguilar (B) and Anthony Scotti (C) in the process. Michael McFall (A), Colin Humphrey (B) and Joe Herr (C) also earned pro status, as the top two competitors in both men’s and women’s physique are allowed to apply for acceptance to the pro level.
The event was a tremendous success for promoter Steve Karel as a record 943 competitors signed up to enter the fray. With the addition of the physique categories, that number shattered the previous high of 509, set last year in Atlanta.
For a more thorough look at the show, check out the results, and thousands of Roland Balik photos from the event on this site.
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