Even in his mid-40s, three-time National Champion Jimmy Norius is proving that he still has a lot to offer in the sport of bodybuilding in fitness and still has what it takes to compete against the region’s best. Today, he is still one of the top competitors for The Bahamas in bodybuilding in fitness on the international stage.
Norius picked up a silver medal for The Bahamas on Sunday, competing in the pro segment of the 47th Annual Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (DR). The three-day event wrapped on Sunday with The Bahamas earning a silver and three bronze medals.
Norius won the silver in the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB) Elite Pro men’s bodybuilding segment of the show, narrowly missing out on the gold in what was just his second professional show since earning his pro card two years ago. Earlier this year, he earned a fourth place finish overall in Men’s Classic Physique in Balneário Camboriú, Brazil.
“The guys I went up against are top of the line, so I’m grateful to come out with a silver,” he said. “I had a good routine and a good support system and I’m thankful. This made me realize that I still have a lot left in the tank. I just have to continue to improve – put on a lil bit more muscle mass in my shoulders and legs and just keep getting better. I have to be able to take it to the next level. This was a very difficult show, so it was good to get second. This is a milestone and I’m happy with it.”
Winning bronze medals for The Bahamas were Serena Salis-Norius, Jimmy’s wife, in Masters Women’s Bikini Fitness Open (Over 35); Wellington Wallace in Men’s Physique (Up to and including 176 centimeters); and Kaif Young in Men’s Physique (Over 179 centimeters).
Additionally, Fania Joseph and Salis-Norius were fifth and sixth respectively in Women’s Bikini Fitness (Up to and including 160 centimeters); Jason Johnson was sixth in Men’s Physique (Up to and including 179 centimeters); and David Dormavil competed in Men’s Physique (Up to and including 170 centimeters) but failed to place among the top six. Last year, the team could only muster two silver medals and a seventh place finish overall.
“Bodybuilding and fitness is the type of sport that affects you mentally, socially, physically and psychologically,” said Norius. “It becomes a part of your everyday life. We just want the government to invest a lot more in bodybuilding and fitness and put more focus behind the sport. We are working hard and we invest a lot of time, effort and money into the sport to bring fame to The Bahamas and we need more support.”
The sport of bodybuilding in fitness is one of those sports in The Bahamas that suffered immensely with the advent of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 on this side of the world earlier this year. As a part of the Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Regulations, gymnasiums in the country were closed from March, just opening briefly during the first drop in coronavirus cases here in The Bahamas during the summer. They were closed again when a second surge of cases was experienced. A number of Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (BBFF) officials, local gym operators, and even the athletes themselves, called for gyms in the country to be reopened with safety measures and social distancing guidelines in place, during the second surge of coronavirus cases, but to no avail.
“I feel like all of the athletes performed at their best and did a good job despite the situation in the country with gyms being closed. We’re grateful for the performances that we had,” said Wallace.
Competing in just her second CAC Championships, Joseph said she was disappointed with the result but will continue to put in the work and try to bring a better package to the stage.
“This was very challenging given the circumstances that we were faced with at home,” she said. “I wanted to compete this year, so I made an effort to get into the best possible shape. I thought that the package that I presented was my best package. I had fun, enjoyed the experience and I’m looking forward to competing again. I’m happy with the work that I put in and it was an honor to represent The Bahamas.”
Salis-Norius said she was pleased with the bronze in Masters Women’s Bikini Fitness Open (Over 35).
“I put in a lot of work with home with the gyms being closed and I’m happy with the result. This was my first time with the national team and first time in the IFBB. I’ll come back and do better things in the future,” she said.
Johnson said it was a good experience for him.
“I feel as if we didn’t have enough time to prepare but I’m thankful for the opportunity to compete. I think that the team did well,” he said. “I just want to thank the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture for helping us to get to the CACs and we look forward to next year and to getting better.”
Dormavil said he had a great time as well and is already looking forward to being named to The Bahamas’ team for next year’s competition.
“I’m pleased. We have the potential to do better and I believe that we will be better in the future,” he said. “The lack of access to gyms really hurt our chances but we still went out there and gave it our all.”
As a result of not being able to host any local shows this year, the BBFF was unable to raise any funds to support Team Bahamas. They had to rely on their annual grant from the government of The Bahamas through the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to facilitate travel to the Dominican Republic for the CAC Championships.
“Thanks much to all who supported us and we will continue to represent The Bahamas well. We beat the odds and we made The Bahamas proud,” said Nardo Dean, project manager of the BBFF who traveled with the team. “I just want to congratulate the athletes who went beyond the call of duty to get their bodies in shape and go out there and represent The Bahamas well. They trained in their own backyards, in the parks in their neighborhoods and just really worked hard to bring their best bodies to the stage. The team did very well and I’m very proud of them. We’re looking forward to an even stronger and better team next year.”
Next year’s CAC Championships, the 48th annual event, is set for Bridgetown, Barbados, in June 2021.
“This one was tough but we complied, wore our masks and sanitized. We stayed in our little bubble over here, didn’t come out much and adhered to all of the safety measures and social distancing guidelines,” said Dean. “We went through the process of getting health travel visas and taking our PCR tests for COVID-19 and just stayed safe.
“Kudos to Jimmy who continues to represent us well. He was a crowd favorite and went out there against some stiff competition and really performed well. We are indeed very proud of him and the entire team that did well, despite the odds that we were faced with.”
It was a stagnant year for bodybuilding in fitness in the country, as it was for sports in general. Not only were gyms closed, but group training was prohibited, training schedules and regimens of athletes were disrupted and a number of local shows and events were canceled.
With safety and health protocols and policies from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the IFBB being enforced, the Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (CACBBFF) decided to forge ahead with its regional championships, and from all indication, it turned out to be a complete success with not a single outbreak of COVID-19 being reported. A number of travel guidelines were in place as well.
As mentioned, next year’s show is set for Bridgetown, Barbados.
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source https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-wins-four-medals-in-the-dr/
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