Champion of the Day: Sarah Mura

NABBA North-west & NABBA Britain
Trained Figure



Ria Ward, Linda Gartside, Jackie Hague, Lisa Cross... and we can now add the name of Sarah Mura, NABBA Britain Trained Figure (ie. Physique) champion for 2015, to the list of female bodybuilders that suggest that when it comes to producing quality female muscle in Britain, the north-west of England is where it's at.




Sarah may seem to have come from nowhere to take the British title this year, but actually she's from Wigan, and has been around competing since 2010, when she was the NABBA North-west Toned Figure champion (ahead of a certain Ria Ward, who finished 3rd). I've never been as scared in all my life, she says of that first show.



2015 has seen her move up to compete in the Trained Figure class for the first time, and five years after that first show, she now has her second North-west title, which she won in May, as well as the British title. Brand new class, brand new Physique, tits have been done... I think now I'm in the best condition I've ever been in, she says.




Now if the above quote makes you suspect Sarah has a cheekier, racier, naughtier side than most, I would reckon you are spot on. I don't know her, more's the pity, but she is, for one thing, sponsored by the same supplements company as Lisa Cross, and if some of the posts on her Instagram ("sarahsynthol") are anything to go by, she has a similar outlook on muscle and sex as Britain's naughtiest IFBB pro.



And the fact that Sarah seems to feel most comfortable in a posing suit that - even in the thongtastic world of NABBA - leaves next to nothing to the imagination in the glootz department is perhaps another sign of her in-your-face muscle sexiness. It certainly ensures the judges ain't going to miss what she's built there, and on top of that it makes her an early front runner for the FMS Rear of the Year.




You can come to your own conclusions about Sarah by following her on that Instagram, or Facebook, or Twitter. And you might also like to watch an interview with her from May this year when she was preparing for the NABBA North-west. The interview contains footage of her first competition as well as Sarah pumping up and posing in the gym, and foreign readers can certainly test out their comprehension (or not!) of a proper undiluted Wigan accent at the same time!



And perhaps it'll be the NABBA Universe next for our new British champ...



Congratulations to Sarah and to all our champions this week.

FMS is going to take a little breather but we'll be back a week tomorrow with our 999th and 1,000th(!!!) posts, and naturally we have something very very special (yes, even more special than Sarah's glorious bum) lined up to mark the occasion.



See you soon. Enjoy!

Champion of the Day: Karolina Borkovcova

WFF Universe
Extreme Body

The woman formerly known as Karolina Holubcova followed up her win at the NABBA Worlds (see FMS passim) by taking the WFF Universe "Extreme Body" (ie. Bodybuilding) title in France at the end of June. Same routine as the Worlds, same thong-tastic (though different colour) posing suit. No complaints whatsoever.



You can follow Karolina's further adventures on Facebook and Instagram.



And you can also follow Karolina's prep for the NABBA Worlds on the BODYFLEX Fitness YouTube channel. Fans of "A Day in the Life of" style clips will LOVE this. Volume 1 is here, and there are two more that follow, adding up to well over half an hour's insight into this Czech muscle goddess's world. Better still, the BODYFLEX bods have actually been bothered to give the clips proper English subtitles, so you can even understand what is being said - if that's important to you!



Enjoy!

Champion of the Day: Erin Twiggs Hutchinson

NPC Team Universe
Women's Physique Class D & Overall



This year on FMS we seem to be particularly enjoying former Figure competitors who have packed on the muscle and moved into the Physique division, and here is another. Erin Twiggs Hutchinson was still competing in Figure this time last year, finishing 6th in her class at both the NPC Jr. Nationals and the NPC USAs. 2015, however, has seen her reborn in Physique, and the extra muscle has paid off handsomely. In only her second WPD show she won class and overall titles and her pro card. It's been a long journey, she said after her triumph. Well, I guess not super long...


Erin the Figure competitor, NPC Jr Nationals, 2013 (left) and 2014

In fact, she only started training at all in 2011.



My husband posted my transformation yesterday and as embarrassing as it is I wanted to share it. This is where I started my journey into bodybuilding and lifting where I found a true passion and love for the sport almost 4 years ago. The middle is a couple weeks out of my first Figure competition in 2013, and the last is where I earned that coveted IFBB pro card at the Team Universe in WPD 3 weeks ago.




Erin hails from Salt Lake City, Utah, home of the mighty Aleesha - allegedly they are "pals", though this is probably just a forum rumour - where she studied fashion. This led her into partnership at the Utah Suit Exchange. No, not pin stripes - posing suits!



You can understand her husband's eagerness to share her transformation with the world. "Embarrassed" by that she may be, but at the beginning of July on stage in New Jersey at the Team Universe, Erin not only looked amazing, but she also looked like she felt amazing too. I'm always saying that I've got no eye for judging, but I think I'm getting better at judging when a lady is having a ball on the stage, and it seems to me that Erin is having the time of her life as an all-flexing Physique goddess. Just relaxing for a few more hours until stage time! she told her Instagram followers as she posted the pic above before the show. Cannot wait to be up there.




And when she was up there, she looked like she never wanted to come down.

Check out her excitement in this post-win interview.



We look forward to seeing Erin growing into the pro ranks. If her progress until now is any guide, she'll be taking that New York Pro by storm next year! And you can watch Erin's further transformation on Facebook as well as on her Instagram.



Enjoy!

Champion of the Day: Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir

CrossFit Games
Fittest on Earth



Nope - still can't believe it. WHAT an incredible week - Fittest on EARTH.
Best moment of my life. It truly means the world to me.



After the first few events Australia's Kara Webb held the lead, and thereafter Katrin's compatriot Sara Sigmundsdottir led until late on the final day. As Sigmundsdottir faltered, Katrin stepped up to take the lead going into the last event. She won it, and with it the title of "Fittest on Earth" at her third Games.



Sigmundsdottir had to be content with 3rd, and with Australia's Tia-Clair Toomey a surprise second, it means the top three women this year are all aged 22. Maybe a changing of the guard? suggests Aiden, our CrossFit oracle. Athletes coming into the sport younger and maybe focusing purely on CrossFit from a young age?



And why wouldn't they? Along with her trophy, the former gymnast and Olympic weightlifter pocketed a cheque for $275,000, although I doubt very much that was what drove her on as she sprinted towards the finish line in the final event.



Find out what Katrin does next on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

All the Games you'll ever want are on the Games website and YouTube channel.

Enjoy! And thanks to Aiden, as always, for his expertise.

Champion of the Day: Carla Rossi-Roan

NPC Masters National Bodybuilding Championships
Masters Over 35 Light-Heavyweight Bodybuilding



Remember this back? This was Carla Rossi (now going by the slightly longer name Carla Rossi-Roan) three years ago as she prepared for the 2012 NPC USAs. She competed as a Middleweight at that show. Given the state of her back, you won't be surprised to learn that she won her class. However, her class win did not guarantee a pro card - out of the four class winners at the show, Tierany Chertein (Light-Heavyweight & Overall) and Denise Dinger (Lightweight) did receive one, but both Carla and Jennifer Kennedy (Heavyweight) missed out.



A couple of weeks ago at the NPC Masters Nationals, it was a case of history repeating itself for Carla. She won her class, but once again, sadly, not her pro card. So, including the USAs win in 2012 and the Masters win most recently, Carla has now finished either first or second in her last four national level shows.



Now I don't know how important that pro card is to Carla, but she does keep trying - her appearance in Pittsburgh this month was her first for two years - so it seems a shame that she hasn't got the reward and the chance to compete as a pro yet.




Still, she doesn't seem to be under any illusions about what to expect from her chosen sport. Bodybuilding doesn’t pay you, she told Gene X Hwang in 2014, you pay bodybuilding – with your time, your money, and your soul. There is no other sport (that I’m aware of) that demands so much and gives so little in return.




So little to some more than others, it seems, and wouldn't Carla know. Maybe today's little tribute (or lamentation would perhaps be a better word!) can remind her that bodybuilding has given her fans, if nothing else, and I'm pretty sure there are many among you readers who feel the same about her pouting muscular sex appeal as I do.



I'd like to be able to tell you where you could connect with Carla and show her a bit of love, but I haven't found any personal pages she has, so unfortunately I can't even do that. Best idea so far is that we all just concentrate really hard and send Carla positive vibes through the power of our universal female muscle lovin' consciousness...



Or perhaps not. But despite all the bad news, I really thought Carla was looking as good at the Masters Nationals as she has done since her peak around the 2012 USAs, and so I really hope this isn't going to be the last time we'll be seeing her on stage.



Enjoy!

More pictures of Carla at the show here.