On April 30, history was made on Saaremaa—at the very likeable Orissaare Sports Hall, where the first Estonian Cup in athletic fitness drew 12 men and 1 woman to the start.
The male athletes were split evenly across 3 categories: youth, juniors and men. The youth cup stayed on Saaremaa with Jürgen Ots, whose second places in the physique round and the strength round, plus first place in the 2 min ergometer row (the best result of the competition—645m), secured the win ahead of Rainer Palm (SS Sparta). Among the juniors, Alex Uuetalu (SS Sparta) triumphed: wins in rowing and the strength round, plus 2nd place in the physique round.
Mihkel Mägi, who had the best physique, had to settle for 2nd place overall (2nd in the strength round and 3rd in rowing).
The men’s field brought together an interesting mix: a fitness competitor, a bodybuilder and two “proper sport” enthusiasts.
In the physique round, Oleg Anissimov and Harri Indus were head and shoulders above the rest.
Since Oleg also won the strength round convincingly and was second in rowing, the cup victory went to him as well. With his win in rowing, Neeme Vool climbed from 4th place to 2nd, while Harri Indus dropped to 3rd after the final event.
The only female athlete—Esta Pilt—showed a high standard: almost bodybuilder-level muscularity, 15 pull-ups, 18 triceps dips! With those numbers she outdid several of the male competitors. It is also worth noting the best results in the individual events, which may give a benchmark to those planning to compete in this new and interesting sport in the future. Pull-ups: Horre Saluste (Reval-Sport) 25x, Mihkel Mägi 23x, Oleg Anissimov (Reval-Sport) 21x; dips: Oleg Anissimov 36x, Alex Uuetalu 30x, Siim Jürgenstein 29x; 2 min rowing: Jürgen Ots 645m, Neeme Vool 641m, Alex Uuetalu 640m.
In November in Tallinn, as part of the classic bodybuilding World Championships, an international athletic fitness demonstration competition will also be held for the members of the IFBB Executive Council, and the possibility of adding this event to the program of IFBB title competitions will be up for discussion.
On Saturday, April 30, the 1st Estonian Cup in athletic fitness was held at the Orissaare Sports Hall.
A total of 13 athletes took part in this new sport, in which competitors face three different rounds: the physique round, the strength round (which in turn consists of two parts, pull-ups and dips for repetitions) and the endurance round (rowing on a rowing ergometer for 2 min).
Among the young men, the winner was local Saaremaa youngster Jürgen Ots, followed by Rainer Palm (Sparta Sports Club) and Siim Jürgenstein. Jürgen also covered the longest rowing distance of the day in 2 min: 645 m.
Among the juniors, Alex Uuetalu (Sparta) became the Estonian Cup winner, followed by Mihkel Mägi and Robin-Cris Tammik (Sparta).
One woman competed, Esta Pilt (TÜ ASK), who a week earlier had been crowned overall Estonian Cup winner in bodyfitness. Esta’s strength numbers were impressive even compared with the men: 15 repetitions in pull-ups and 18 repetitions in dips.
Among the men, Oleg Anissimov (Reval Sport) won, performing 21 pull-ups and 36 dip repetitions. He was followed by Neeme Vool from Paide and Harri Indus from Põltsamaa.
Athletic fitness is a sport of Scandinavian origin that combines the following rounds: the physique round (judged by the same criteria as in fitness), the strength round—consisting of two parts, pull-ups and dips for repetitions—and the endurance round—rowing on a rowing ergometer for 2 min. The points are added up and, as always, the athlete with the best result wins.
While bodybuilding and fitness are usually very subjective sports in terms of judging criteria, athletic fitness is clearly easier to measure in this respect.
Athletes compete in four different categories: women, young men, junior men and men.
The competition is held at the Orissaare Sports Hall. One of the spring-season priorities of the EKFL (Estonian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation) is the regional development of the sport, which is why the competition is held on Saaremaa.
The day is hosted, and the spectators’ spirits kept high, by Estonia’s top bodybuilder Ott Kiivikas.
More information: EKFL
