May 29, 2002 Report:
It was an auspicious pro debut for Art Atwood. The ’01 NPC National Superheavyweight winner looked super picking up the top prize at the Toronto Pro International on Saturday, May 25. Atwood, who finished third at the ’01 USA behind Quincy Taylor and Jeramy Freeman before earning his IFBB pro card at the Nationals, upset Markus Ruhl to nab top honors at the Canadian event. A two-time top-10 Mr. O finisher, Ruhl was coming off a victory at the Night of Champions a week earlier and had entered the show as the strong favorite. Gustavo Badell finished third, picking up an Olympia qualification along with Atwood and Ruhl.
Teper’s Tales
Lee Priest, whose passion for auto racing equals his desire to hit poses on a bodybuilding stage, also made an auspicious debut’behind the wheel of a speedmobile. Teaming with Gregory Smith, Priest took the Silver State Nevada Open Road race on May 19 in Las Vegas. The two sped a ’95 Chevrolet Corvette to a first-place finish, hitting a speed of 124.992 mph over the 90-mile stretch of Nevada highway.’ Prior to his victory at the track, Priest finished his work on the new big-screen version of ‘The Hulk,’ which is set for a summer 2003 release. Lou Ferrigno won’t be playing the Hulk in this one; the big fella will be computer-generated, with Priest’s body used as the model.’ Shawn Ray has confirmed rumors that, after 12 straight top-five finishes from 1990 to 2001, he will not be competing in the ’02 Mr. Olympia. Word is that Ray will be Flex Wheeler’s training partner as the latter cuts short yet another retirement to take aim at this year’s Mr.O.’ Jay Cutler and his wife, Kerry, are the latest citizens of the bodybuilding world to move to Las Vegas. The Cutlers are having a spacious home built in Summerlin and expect to be in their new digs sometime in July. Kerry has enrolled in a masters program in nursing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
More tales. After guest posing at the NPC California Championships on May 25, Craig Titus told the crowd he should have been second the previous week at the Night of Champions, not in the fifth slot, where he was placed. One of the fans listening to his comments, NOC runner-up Bob Cicherillo, was prodded into getting onstage and posing down Titus again. Afterward Cicherillo said to Titus at the mike, ‘I’m 2-0 against you, and I have better hair.’… Troy Alves and Idrise Ward-El, both favorites to earn pro cards at this year’s USA, also gave the fans at the Cal a precontest peek, putting on a miniposedown after Titus and Cicherillo did their thing. The two amateurs assure they’ll be in the best shape of their lives for the Las Vegas competition at the end of July.
’02 Toronto Pro International Results
Toronto, May 25, 2002
1) Art Atwood*
2) Markus Ruhl*
3)Gustavo Badell*
4) Darrem Charles
5) Bob Weatherill
6) Francisco ‘Paco’ Bautista
7) Mustafa Mohammad
8) Jeff Long
9) George Farah
10) Mike Morris
11) Eddie Abbew
12) J.D. Dawodu
13) Jason Marcovici
14) Reza Amin
15) Shawn Davis
*Qualifies for the Mr. Olympia.
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