Bodybuilding: Arnold Classic Europe Amateur 2015 |05 October 2015

Ziad ranked ninth in 85kg category

. Russian Arkadii Velichko overall winner

Ziad Al Adou Mekdachi was ranked ninth in  his category at the recent fifth Arnold Classic Europe Amateur 2015, held in Madrid, Spain.

Competing in the up to and including 85kg category, Mekdachi did not progress to the second round scoring 48 points to be ranked ninth out of 17 flex posers.

Spanish Josep Merino was a cut above the rest of the field as he scored the least points in all three rounds to win this category.

Former European champion Merino had a few years break and returned to the stage last year finishing sixth at the European Championships and has improved a lot this year as he finished as a runner-up at 2015 Olympia Spain.

Second place in the up to and including 85kg category in Madrid went to Yakimov Yevgeniy of Kazakhstan with 39 points and he was followed in third placed by Italian Iacono Gianni with 56 points.

Russian Arkadii Velichko is the overall winner and could as next year become a professional athlete if he decides to jump into the Professional League.

According to media reports, the formidable Arkadii Velichko beat Croatian Petar Clancir by a split decision in the +100 kg category (super heavyweight) before going to great length to defeat the other five individual champions for the absolute crown.

Velichko received the coveted award from Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Mr Olympia and Hollywood star. He's also the former husband of Maria Shriver, and served two terms as governor of California.

Mekdachi was accompanied by Roxy Athanase who said the level of competition was very high and noted that local bodybuilders have a long way to go to reach this level.

“Ziad did not do too badly, but the local flex posers need to train harder and follow the changes happening in bodybuilding if they want to improve,” said Athanase.

The competition was open to all International Federation of Bodybuilding-affiliated national federations from all over the world. The registration fee cost US $150. It comprised different categories like men’s bodybuilding, men’s physique, junior women’s body fitness, junior women’s bikini fitness, junior men’s bodybuilding, junior men’s physique, men’s classic bodybuilding, master’s women’s body fitness, master’s men’s physique, women’s physique, women’s bikini fitness, master’s women’s physique, women’s body fitness, master’s men’s bodybuilding, and men’s fitness.

G. G.