Summer Lovin': Capucine

On her way to compete at the NPC Nationals last year, Capucine Leconte realised she had forgotten a crucial hair accessory and turned her car around to go back home.

Having spent nearly a decade away from the stage, 2017 had been the year she had rediscovered her passion for competition. She'd qualified for the Nationals by winning her class at the New York State Grand Prix, several cuts above the competition found at such regional shows, and her appearance there jogged memories on the forums. I found her a year ago but had kind of forgotten about her since then, wrote one enthused poster. Didn't know she was going to compete. WOW! She's amazing!



An exotic beauty indeed. And ripped to shreds (as they say) - which, apparently, is never the problem in Figure that it seems to have become in Physique! (Just saying).

So anyway, back to that day of the Nationals...

Capucine arrives home to get her hair accessory. And I believe she found it, but she also found her fiance (of four years, now ex-fiance) in bed with another woman!



The shock would have floored most (the stuff about men who cheat on women who most of us would give up an organ - but not that organ - to be with is not our concern today), but Capucine, back in her car, decided to head for the show anyway.

By this time though, she was somewhat behind schedule, and arriving at the venue late she was initially told she had been disqualified. However, she was given the chance to go on when a judge (presumably an important one) noted how incredible she looked.



She did, indeed, look absolutely incredible, but there must have been so much going on in her head as strutted onto the stage. Happily, she managed to keep her composure and all the judges agreed - class winner. Capucine Leconte was now an IFBB pro.

She made her pro debut in Chicago recently (looked incredible, didn't place!), and these days there's a fella who regularly turns up in the background of some of her Instagram posts - hardly surprising she didn't stay single for very long.



She'll be at the Tampa Pro at the start of next month. I'm looking to make a strong comeback after I learned a lot from this last [Chicago] show, she says. Had a lot of great advice from others, but everyone is asking me about my abs!



Capucine on Instagram

Enjoy!

NPC Nationals 2017: Figure Phenoms

Whatever else you might think of the Figure division, there's no denying how competitive it is. These four fine figure physiques left Miami with a total of zero pro cards between them, and yes, one of them is Kelsey Haas, who busted into your Hot and Hard 100 this year at #50, and who we're much more used to seeing flexing those muscles for our viewing pleasure in the gym, or even more often, in the car.



Recognise her now?

Anyway, in total, there were 116 Figure competitors this year, spread out among six different classes. In classes "C" and "D" alone there were 26 and 25 women respectively. Little wonder they give out pro cards to the class winners and the runners-up.



The big (Overall) winner on the day came from that most oversubscribed class of all, the "C" class. And while others (in this and other divisions) slug it out for years before joining the pro ranks, this was only rookie Martina Harris' fourth ever show.



She was, even to my untrained eye, a class apart from all the other women, and looks (and talks) like she knew it, too. Not that long ago she was finishing way down in 10th in her class at the IFBB North Americans, so if she continues improving at that rate she'll be a-scaring the pro tan off some top Figure ladies next year. She's not lacking in ambition either, telling Dave Palumbo in her RxMuscle interview that she's planning to make that modest little contest known as the Figure International her pro debut!

Plenty of self-confidence from Martina then, but when faced with Ms Figure Olympia herself, she did seem to have a little bit of trouble maintaining eye contact.



I fully understand.



Remember this image?

I'm pretty sure we posted it here, and it's about five years old now. I never forget up-close sweaty ripped abs, nor the name that goes with them. Or at least, I don't if the name is as memorable as Capucine Leconte, which is exactly what it is in this case.



And here she is again, five years and a considerable change in image later, winning the "A" class at the Nationals. Good to see Capucine's abs are still very much on the impressive side, though sadly not quite as sweaty on this occasion. Nor below.



Runner-up behind Capucine in the "A" class and also going home with a pro card was the Kessia Mirellys, who may well be familiar to readers due to the fact that her own brand of "sexy crazy gorgeous" - especially her line of selfies involving a bit of a flash of her 8-pack - has gained her quite a large and devoted following on the fan forums.



Over a quarter of a million Instagram followers she has - and surely they can't all be the likes of us. Oh, and Kessia is originally from Brazil, in case you weren't aware.



Unlikely this is the last you will hear about her, here or elsewhere.



2018 Hot and Hard 100 New Entry perhaps?

And at the other end of the fame scale (up to now, anyway...)



You won't find Brittany Miller, runner-up in the "D" class, on GWM or even the forum whose first rule is... However, she is notable for a couple of reasons, well, three if you like - and you may well have spotted two of them already ('cos I know, being FMS readers and all, nothing escapes you) - Best in Show rear view by a mile!!!



She is also notable for the woman who trains her - none other than the legendary Debi Laszewski, who has taken Brittany from being "a 20-year-old with an untrained body that was 32% body fat" all the way into the IFBB pro ranks. I cannot even describe the opposition I've faced from friends and family day in and day out, says Brittany. This sport was taboo and unfeminine in their eyes, an embarrassment you could say. But despite the lack of support from the majority of the people in my life, I've always had the full and utmost support from the person I've looked to the most: Debi.



And with that happy ending we leave you for today. Almost.

Check out the other 100+ women from the Figure division on NPC News Online and/or RxMuscle and tell us who you think we should have spotlighted a little more.

Here's a bit of inspiration to get you going...



Enjoy!