Brief commentary on the 2013 Estonian Cup
Athletic-fitness
Just as elsewhere in the world, entry numbers in Estonia refuse to grow: 1 junior, 3 women and 5 men is a bit thin! Of course, athletic-fitness demands more time-consuming preparation and a greater competitive effort than plain bodybuilding, but I still can’t understand why such an interesting division doesn’t attract more athletes…!?
That said, those who did show up weren’t there to joke around. Junior Rauno Karro‘s strength round results (23 + 32) were competitive even in the men’s class, and all three women – Darola Kruusik, Esta Pilt and Rete Jallai – showed improvement in their strength numbers.
Anyway, the contest was gripping right up to the final strokes of the rowing. On equal points, Esta took the women’s win ahead of Darola thanks to a better placing in the physique round. Darola’s proportions and body lines are world class. Compared with Esta, Darola fell short on conditioning sharpness, which seems to be highly valued in athletic-fitness.
In the men’s class, three physiques stood out from the rest – Imre Uibokand, Kristo Kauder and Ants Varblane. Imre, who received first place from every judge, probably surprised many! Still, the win went to Martin Absalon, who was the best in the strength round and, as expected, in the rowing too. To stay in the picture in international competition, Martin’s physique needs substantial work.
Fitness
It’s gratifying that this so-called Estonian showcase division has a new face – Endla Vaher. Endla narrowly won the free routine (4:3 on the judges’ votes), but the physique round was deservedly won by Kristina Koroljak, who also took the cup. Endla’s free routine was distinctive and confidently executed. Kristina has continued to improve on the muscle side and, with “the whole package”, is undoubtedly world class. That both athletes are still juniors adds hope for the future.
Junior bodybuilding
In addition to two young athletes (Lauri Ööpik and Marius Lemming), who have everything still ahead of them, there were 8 juniors on stage – 5 lighter and 3 heavier. The biggest surprise was Andres Valgma. Andres’s conditioning was clearly the best and the (relative) muscle mass was solid, too. A dominant win among the lighter juniors and a narrow loss (3:4) to Siim Kelner in the overall vote is not a bad start! I’ve seen Siim sharper, but the progress in muscle mass and the classic proportions didn’t let them down. Proper preparation was also shown by Rene Jaanus (3rd place -75 kg) and Sten Richard Oskar (2nd place 75+ kg). I never understood what earned Anton Ostroglazov 2nd place in -75 kg. If Anton ever bothered to get in shape, there would of course be something to look at.
Body-fitness
One could “blame” bikini fitness for the modest number of competitors in this division – 1 junior and 4 women. Fortunately, the days when we saw unprepared competitors in body-fitness are over. All of them had put in more or less effort. Things got exciting when Esta and Darola, who had already stood side by side in athletic-fitness, came together.
The line repeated in the IFBB for years – that competitors who are too muscular and too dry have to be “marked down” in body-fitness – seems to be finally reaching our judges. By 6:1 votes, Darola’s better proportions were preferred over the dryness of Esta’s musculature. Darola’s skeletal structure allows them to think about reaching the international level in this division too, provided the muscle side fills out over the years.
Bikini-fitness
Predictably, this division had the biggest turnout – 5 shorter and 11 taller beauties. For the first time at an Estonian competition, an elimination round was needed.
Traditionally, I don’t undertake a substantive critique of anyone in bikini-fitness; I limit myself to leafing through the protocol. The judges were absolutely unanimous in scoring the winners of both categories – Kristina Aleksejeva and Egle Eller-Nabi. The placings of Riina Solomonova, who finished second in the shorter category, ranged from 2…5, and those of third-placed Tatjana Kreit were also 2…5. The judges placed Reet Reimets, runner-up in the taller category, at 2..4 and third-place finisher Aleksandra Laer at 2…6. Such fluctuation doesn’t surprise me; it’s the same at major competitions.
Men’s physique
This division, appearing on the Estonian Cup program for the first time, is so new that its “essence” is still unclear to me. It seems to offer an (additional) outlet for classic bodybuilders whose legs aren’t their strong suit, and for athletic-fitness competitors. Logically, the new division should suit young men with good looks and a good frame who are vainer than average. Anyway, Imre Uibokand showed a perfectly decent physique.
Bodybuilding
Here I lump together 12 classic bodybuilders and 4 “real bodybuilders”. The former made up quite a nice number, split across three height categories. In the shorter category (5 competitors) there was a tight battle for gold and silver. For many, the level of Estonian Cup debutant Peep Reinart was a pleasant surprise – proper proportions, good legs and back, or as Taavi Koovit put it: “everything is there”… Though Peep won the mandatory poses against Rain Kuusnõmme, the more experienced man settled matters with the free routine. Argo Väli, who had taken a longer break from competing, had worked on the free routine but not enough on polishing conditioning.
In the middle height class (4 competitors) there was a clear winner, Siim Savisaar, whose conditioning, at its familiar high standard, and aesthetic lines await progress in muscle mass. That is of course easier said than done…
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The taller men’s category (3 competitors) was a one-man show. Hard to say whether I’ve ever seen Janar Rückenberg in better shape!? At this level, big changes of course don’t happen, but Janar’s conditioning seemed sharp enough and the muscle hadn’t withered away.
4 bodybuilders shared the places in one category, and the others couldn’t get near Raigo Kuusnõmm, which was of course no surprise. Raigo’s good lines and strong muscle groups (legs, back) will stand out even more once a few kilos come off and contest conditioning improves. Nikolai Kornõšev (2nd place) and Ahti Jakson (3rd place) showed progress in muscle mass.
As usual, the “dividing of the spoils” in the overall category was a treat for the audience and a gauge of the level for the athletes themselves. The points perhaps give the most objective picture of how things stood on the evening of April 20 on the stage of the Salme Cultural Center: Janar Rückenberg 5, Raigo Kuusnõmm 10, Ahti Jakson 19, Peep Reinart 20, Rain Kuusnõmme 21, Siim Savisaar 30.
To wrap up, here is what and who caught my eye as positive or surprising at this year’s Estonian Cup: 1) 55 participants – quite a nice number 2) the strong level of the fitness competitors (Kristina and Endla) 3) Darola Kruusik – progress and potential 4) Andres Valgma – conditioning and muscle OK for a junior 5) Peep Reinart – 4th place in the overall on debut speaks for itself 5) Janar Rückenberg – a deserved win 6) Raigo Kuusnõmm – pleasing to the eye even at 90 % conditioning.
Author: Indrek Otsus
Come and train! ArtGym
