GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Bodybuilders from up and down the Garden Route, and even from around the country, flocked to Mossel Bay last week to take part in the Garden Route Casino Classic on 10 June.

The well-established annual contest, which always draws a large audience, with the casino's Bravo Lounge venue packed, is aimed at novice as well as experienced athletes.

It is organised by Johan du Toit and his wife Deseray of George. Johan is a full-time personal trainer, with his own training facility, and a part-time pharmacist. He has been organising bodybuilding shows in the Garden Route area since 2008.

This year's competition drew athletes from the Garden Route, Cape Town, Eastern Cape and other outlying areas. The judging was done by a PCA panel from Cape Town under the guidance of Kevin Schwartz, president of the Physical Culture Association (PCA) South Africa.

The athletes competed in 18 different categories and the winners of the categories had a chance to compete for the titles of Overall Men's Model, Overall Ladies' Bikini and Overall Men's Bodybuilding – relevant to the categories of their entry. 

Some athletes were invited to the PCA South African Championships in September in Gauteng, where they will represent the Western Cape on a national level.

Gladwin Morgan of George. 

The top performers in each category were:

First Timers Bodybuilding under 75kg

• 1st – Erno Grobbelaar

Men's Bodybuilding under 70kg

• 1st – Gladwin Morgan*
• 2nd – Erno Grobbelaar*
• 3rd – Joshwin van Rooyen

Junior Bodybuilding U23

• 1st – Tyron Healing*
• 2nd – Erno Grobbelaar
• 3rd – Joshwin van Rooyen

Toned Bikini

• 1st – Bianca Joubert*
• 2nd – Elmandy Jooste*
• 3rd – Tizane Laubscher*

Men's Masters 40+

• 1st – Phillip Venter*
• 2nd – Renado Cherry*
• 3rd – Danie du Plessis

Mariaan Duvenhage of Glentana.

Men's Beach Model

• 1st – Pieter Ferreira
• 2nd – Malan Ferriera

Ladies' Sports Model

• 1st – Tizane Laubscher*

Men's Sports Model

• 1st – Jaco Louw*

Classic Bodybuilding

• 1st – Tyron Herling
• 2nd – Gladwin Morgan
• 3rd – Wiann le Grange

Best Routine

• 1st – Michaela Faria-Richards*
• 2nd – Erno Grobbelaar

First Timers Over 75kg

• 1st – Tian Schoon
• 2nd – Niel Hendricks
• 3rd – Reinders Olivier

Men's Bodybuilding U80kg

• 1st – Phillip Venter*
• 2nd – Renado Cherry*
• 3rd – Fabian Campher*

Trained Bikini

• 1st – Mariaan Duvenhage*
• 2nd – Britney Bezuidenhout*

Men's Bodybuilding U90kg

• 1st – Addington Mondo*
• 2nd – Wiann le Grange*
• 3rd – Jaco Louw

Men's Bodybuilding U90kg

• 1st – Oliver Hart
• 2nd – Tian Schoon

Trained Figure

• 1st – Natasha JV Vuuren*
• 2nd – Melanie Ebersohn*

Men's Physique Model

• 1st – Jaco Louw
• 2nd – Lushane Carolus

Men's Muscle Model

• 1st – Gladwin Morgan*
• 2nd – Dylan Butler

Overall Model

• Gladwin Morgan

Overall Bikini

• Mariaan Duvenhage

Overall Bodybuilding

• Phillip Venter

Danie du Plessis of Hartenbos. 

Melanie Ebersohn of Hartenbos. 

Mossel Bay's Elmandy Jooste. 

Phillip Venter, the overall men's winner with Karen Johnstone of the Garden Route Casino. 

*Denotes an athlete that has been invited to compete in the PCA SA Championships in September

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