Bodybuilders not daunted

Bodybuilding is a lifestyle choice and the fact that Cook Islands bodybuilders Dean Teiho and brothers Aaron and Okirua Enoka didnt win medals on Monday night doesnt mean the end of their careers.

The muscle men trio had a long day of pre-judging and nervous waits to see if they progressed to the final competition night.

Unfortunately for Okirua Enoka the New Caledonia and Tahiti dominated judging panel saw past the striking and proportioned physique of the 31-year-old athlete.

His brother Aaron and fellow competitior Dean Teiho made the judges cut for the final competition evening which required athletes to perform a short dance routine combining various strikes and poses to enhance main muscle groups.

But neither athlete made the top three of their category which came as a huge disappointment for team manager and chef de mission George George who on competition day was one of the new test judges.

His main concern was the biased nature of the judging process which included 3 Tahitian and 3 New Caledonian judges.

As it happened 90 percent of the medals on the night were won by Tahiti and New Caledonian athletes.

In fact, a Tahitian delegate approached and commented to chef de mission George that he thought the Cook Islands trio were outstanding athletes who should have won medals. But despite the perceived bias of the competition, Teiho and the Enoka brothers will continue to sculpt their bodies and compete in regional tournaments where they have won medals previously.

For Teiho the Pacific Games was another notch on his long and successful bodybuilding career.

This is not the end this is a lifestyle choice, commented Teiho after the competition.

Okirua and Aaron are the sons of legendary Cook Islands bodybuilder the late Felix Enoka.

Although Aaron has been competing for some time in the sport, younger brother Oki has only just begun his bodybuilding career.

I didnt think I could accomplish what dad did until I saw my brother do it and succeed, said Okirua.

The trio now look ahead to more competitions in the next couple of months including the New Zealand Nationals where they are expected to win medals.