Branch Warren didn’t go to Disney World after his big win at the Arnold Classic two weeks ago. After a brief stop home in Texas, he hopped on a plane and headed down under to Melbourne, Australia for the IFBB Australian Pro Grand Prix.
So last night while you were sleeping here in the states, the 2x Arnold Champion was posing his way to a dominating victory in a field of nine. Warren looked to be a bit watery compared to his showing at the Arnold, but his condition was still right on and no one could touch his mass. No one could argue the unanimous first place votes Warren collected from the judging panel (headed by Australian-American Bev Francis).
In the runner-up spot, Michael Kefalianos made sure Warren didn’t take this contest for granted. Kefalianos brings conditioning and slabs of muscle that make-up for what isn’t the prettiest structure. It just wasn’t enough to stand next to the massive Branch Warren.
Third place went to Omar Deckard, who commendably improved his condition from the FLEX Pro last month and earned his way to his first-ever pro top three finish.
On the ladies side, the pro figure contest proved to be a lot more exciting. After placing second at the Figure International two weeks ago, Erin Stern moved into the top spot in Australia. That’s two in row down under for Ms. Stern who delivered a nice balance of condition and muscle. Slipping to second was the reigning Figure Olympia and Figure International Champion Nicole Wilkins. The gap between them was minimal and it came down a slight improvement from Stern while Wilkins looked to be holding a little water. If you’re a fan of healthy competition, then you’ll be excited to see these two go head to head at the Olympia in September.
1. Branch Warren
2. Michael Kefalianos
3. Omar Deckard
4. Darryn Onekawa
5. Luke Timms
1. Erin Stern
2. Nicole Wilkins
3. Larissa Reis
4. Alicia Harris
5. Jennifer Hernandez
