Golden Chestnut 2005: The Kyiv final
Golden Chestnut 2005 brought a strong bodybuilding and fitness field to the stage in Kyiv on 29.05. Fitness featured at the tournament for the first time, and Ott Kiivikas finished 5th out of 14 competitors in the men’s open category.
Golden Chestnut and why this tournament mattered
The international Golden Chestnut tournament in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was no ordinary weekend competition. Entry was by invitation only. The athletes taking the stage were an established field whose caliber was known well before the competition.
The tournament offered a prize fund of $12,000. That was a significant statement in the bodybuilding world at the time. The money was distributed as follows: 1st place $3000, 2nd place $2000, 3rd place $1000, and $100 for each subsequent place. No wonder the men’s lineup was formidable.
Another significant development was the addition of fitness to the program for the first time. There were 9 competitors in the women’s event, but the main contest was between two prominent athletes: Tatjana Savitska and Natalia Nazarenko. Savitska had placed 4th at the World Championships in 2004, while Nazarenko had finished 4th at the European Championships in 2005 and had also visited Estonia to give a seminar.
The individual routines were followed by comparisons in the mandatory poses. The outcome was clear: Natalia Nazarenko took the win. This gave the tournament a strong start, as fitness was a serious competition in its own right, rather than a sideshow.
The men’s open category at Golden Chestnut
The men’s event was held in an open category. Put simply, everyone competed together, with no separate classes based on body weight. There were 14 men on stage, and each began with an individual posing routine. Wearing competitor number 1, Ott Kiivikas was the first to perform in the men’s round.
After the individual routines, it was time for the mandatory poses. It was a good sign that Ott was brought forward in the first callout. Alongside him stood Sergei Jatsuk, Olegas Zuraz, Antoli Kudlai and Vitali Aleksandrov. Being in that lineup already said a great deal.
Sergei Jatsuk was a Ukrainian athlete and the previous year’s tournament winner who had also given a seminar in Estonia. He stood 174cm tall and weighed 105kg. Lithuania’s Olegas Zuraz was the biggest name in the field: European champion and overall world champion in 2004, and World Games winner in 2001. He stood 174cm tall and weighed 108kg.
Antoli Kudlai was a multiple Ukrainian overall champion and cup winner, standing 180cm tall and weighing 100kg. Vitali Aleksandrov, from Latvia, stood 171cm tall and weighed 98kg. He was the 2004 WABBA overall world champion. Two men, Zuraz and Aleksandrov, held pro cards.
There were 9 judges in total, so several callouts were held to compare different competitors. Eventually, 6 finalists were selected to continue after the break. Ott Kiivikas made the final 6.
What made 5th place such a valuable result?
Ott finished the competition in 5th place. Ahead of him were the same big names who had joined him in the first callout: Olegas Zuraz, Vitali Aleksandrov, Sergei Jatsjuk and Anatoli Kudlai. The men he finished ahead of were also very strong competitors.
In 6th was Semion Berkovits, the Lithuanian who had won the masters world title in 2003 and earned multiple medals at major competitions. Vassili Remezov, a former world and European champion, finished 8th. Against this level of competition, 5th place was more than simply making the final. It was a clear step up.
The circumstances make the result even more remarkable. Ott was feeling very unwell on competition day. That morning, he lay in bed with a fever of 39.5 degrees, unsure whether to compete at all. Just before he went on stage, the thermometer read 39.
A year earlier, he had finished 13th out of 15 competitors at the same tournament. Now he was 5th out of 14. That was a substantial improvement. Athletes from 7 countries were represented, making the result even more impressive.
Golden Chestnut continued to grow
The way the tournament was organized suggested that Golden Chestnut was growing bigger every year. There was already talk that the following year’s winner might receive a pro card. Prize money was also expected to double.
The event’s chief organizer was Vitali Usõtsenko, who had also visited Estonia to give a seminar. Ott Kiivikas already had an invitation to the following year’s tournament. His 5th-place finish had clearly not gone unnoticed.
Final standings
- Olegas Zuraz
- Vitali Aleksandrov
- Sergei Jatsjuk
- Anatoli Kudlai
- Ott Kiivikas
- Semion Berkovits
- Aleksander Slobodanjuk
- Vassili Remezov
- Anatoli Semirenko
- Aleksei Poljanski
- Aleksander Artjomenko
- Dmitri Rameiko
- Ilja Goro¨ko
- Beila Balog
FAQ
What was Golden Chestnut 2005?
It was an international bodybuilding and fitness tournament held in Kyiv, with entry by invitation only. Fitness featured on the program for the first time.
Where did Ott Kiivikas place?
Ott Kiivikas finished 5th in the men’s open category. There were 14 men on stage in total.
Why is this result worth remembering?
Because the competition was very strong, with European and world champions on stage, and Ott competed with a fever of 39 degrees that day.
Author: Ott Kiivikas
Source: WHO – physical activity.
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