2011 Ms International judging Iris for six, or Yaxeni for five? Report by Ron Harris Wellness Health Fitness

2011 Ms International judging Iris for six, or Yaxeni for five? Report by Ron Harris

Posted by Justin Murphy 4 Mar, 2011

2011 Ms International judging

Iris for six, or Yaxeni for five?

Report by Ron Harris

The Ms. International has been a back and forth battle between Iris Kyle and Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia for most of the past decade. Iris has won five titles since 2004, and Yaxeni has been the winner four times beginning in 2002. The last time Yaxeni beat Iris was in 2008, and to be fair to Iris, that was really only because she seemed to have been punished by judges for an obvious infected and inflamed abscess on her glute. From where I sat this afternoon, Iris seems well on her way toward being awarded her sixth Ms. International title tonight. Here were my impressions of the thirteen competitors.

Dayana Cadeau – Canada, now USA

This was better condition than I’ve seen from Dayana in recent outings, but she still seemed to have just a thin film of water blurring out her cuts. Her legs in particular are standout bodyparts, but they would have been more impressive with sharper definition; more so from the back as her hams and glutes were a tad soft. Peaking is not an easy or predictable process and it’s even more complex for women, but it was definitely being a little off that kept her from the first callout.

Jeannie Paparone – Las Vegas, NV

Jeannie had some of the best delts in the whole lineup, and her triceps too are exceptional. In terms of her condition, overall it was very good until you got to the glutes and hams. This is the toughest area for any competitor to dial in.

Maria del Carmen Gomez-Segura – Mexico

This woman is built like a tank! Easily the thickest development on stage, especially her quads. Unfortunately, Maria’s midsection is also on the thick side, detracting from her overall shape. Additionally, her stage presence needs work. Maria looked pissed off the whole time she was up there. A smile now and then would have been nice to see.

Alina Popa – Switzerland

Alina was one of the true surprises of this show. Her shape, size, and condition are all top-notch. In particular, her back was among the best on stage, and her glute-ham separations were crystal clear. She’s also got an exotic look, which never hurts.

Rita Maria Bello – Argentina

Rita’s nickname should be ‘The Shredator!’ Nobody even came close to Rita’s muscular ribbons. She could use more quad sweep, and Bello really needs some coaching on her posing. With such a tremendous physique, I was stunned to see that she has no idea how to spread her back out for a rear lat spread. I feared also that her outrageous condition might be considered too extreme by the judging panel for a woman, and that was confirmed when she did not make the first callout. On a side note, it was eerie later on when she stood next to Yaxeni in a callout how the two looked so much alike facially that they could be sisters.

Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia – Venezuela/USA

I have nothing personal against Yaxeni at all, but to me she looked flat as hell today. Her legs in particular seem to have shrunk, because I remember just a couple years ago that her quads had a lot more fullness and sweep to them. Her back is still thick, but overall she looked overdieted to me.

Antoinette Thompson – Oklahoma, USA

Aside from her arms and legs, Antoinette did not carry the same level of mass as the rest of this lineup. Her condition was also not up to par with the second-biggest title in women’s pro bodybuilding. Very pretty woman with a lovely smile, but I bet she will do much better next year if she switches over to the new Women’s Physique division that will bridge the gap between Figure and Bodybuilding.

Tina Chandler – Houston, TX

Tina had one of the best shapes and structures up there today. Her capped delts and sweeping quads give her a killer X-frame. She wasn’t quite good enough to be in the very top group this time.

Sarah Hayes – Dallas, TX

Sarah is a diamond in the rough, but today she was definitely still rough around the edges. She needs a little bit more overall size and especially in the legs, but her shape and structure show great potential. This was her first pro show. George Farah, seated to my right, said “let me work with her and I could make her Ms. Olympia.” Sarah is still very young and I get the feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg as to what she will ultimately be capable of.

Iris Kyle – Houston, TX

I see this show as being a knockout for Iris. If you talk about the best overall package of size, shape, and condition, Iris wins this hands-down. She was a little off from the leanest we’ve seen her, but something tells me this was intentional and meant to give a slightly softer, more feminine look – just like the way she had her hair down and curled today. If it comes down to Yaxeni and Iris again, I just don’t see Yaxeni winning. I also just realized how many Texas women were competing today. If Iris win this show tonight and Branch wins the Arnold tomorrow night, it would be quite a sweep for the Lone Star state!

Cathy LeFrancois – Los Angeles, CA/Quebec, Canada

What a little firecracker! Cathy was not insanely ripped the way she was last May when she won the New York Pro, but she still had cross-striations in her quads, tri’s, and to a lesser extent, her glutes. She also seems to have lost some size, mainly in her arms. This is most likely due to the tendon injury in one arm that knocked her out of the Mr. Olympia the year before last. Still, it’s hard not to root for Cathy and her smile that lights up the stage.

Debi Laszewski – Jupiter, FL

I will say it right here and now – Debi is a Ms. Olympia waiting in the wings. As great as Iris and Yaxeni are, both of them have been around a very long time and have to be nearing the end of their pro careers. Though Debi isn’t technically a lot younger than they are (actually, I think Iris might be younger than Debi), Laszewski is still in the early stages of her IFBB days. She’s a very pretty woman, which as we know from the years when Cory and Lenda were winning is never a bad quality to have as Ms. Olympia, and she has a nice overall blend of size, shape, and condition. I get the feeling she won’t be any higher today than the third place she was at the last Ms. Olympia, but her time will come.

Betty Viana-Adkins – Venezuela/USA

Betty might just have the most exaggerated V-taper in women’s bodybuilding, with a lat spread like a king cobra and shoulders that pop out a foot in either direction. Her glutes and hams were a little soft, but considering how the judges failed to reward Rita Bello for her extreme condition in those areas, maybe that won’t hurt her one but. If you go by the callouts, Betty is right up there.

Callouts:

Alina Popa, Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia, Iris Kyle, Debi Laszewski, Betty Viana-Adkins

Jeannie Paparone, Tina Chandler, Cathy LeFrancois, Dayana Cadeau

Maria del Carmen Gomez-Segura, Rita Maria Bello, Antoinette Thompson, Sarah Hayes

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