2018 Toronto Pro SuperShow Contest Report
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With a record number of attendees, this year’s Toronto Pro Supershow brought some of the best competitors from around the world and was without question the most competitive contest we’ve ever covered in Canada. Big name pros like Cedric McMillam, Juan Morel, Akim Willams, and the return of Antoine Valliant were amongst some of the storylines that took place this weekend. In the end Juan Morel was victorious but he’res how it all went down in Toronto, the hometown of Muscle Insider!
1st Place Juan “Diesel” Morel
In an absolute dog-fight, crowd-favourite Juan Morel was the bodybuilder who got his massive arm raised high and earned a qualification to the Olympia this weekend. Morel's overwhelming upper-body was just too much for the rest of the competitors in Toronto. His conditioning was madly impressive and was the most "alive" competitor on-stage. His biggest strengths were super full chest, shoulders and triceps development. His legs were sliced and diced from the side but as fans know, Morel has great legs from the side and the rear. Unfortunately, from the front he lacks in the quads in the front-double-bicep and front-lat-spread. To place in the top-ten at the Olympia, I feel he’ll need to slap on a bit of mass in the quads to improve the upper-to-lower body size discrepancy and work hard to bring separation to his biceps and triceps. As Morel is no longer a young bodybuilder, it may take a radical change to his training to do this in just a short few months. Beyond that, he just needs to continue putting on size and improving condition. Morel is one of my personal favourites in the IFBB and all of his social-media posts show the love he has for bodybuilding.
2nd Place Akim Williams
It was a case of the proverbial “apples and oranges” in Toronto and either Morel or Williams could’ve taken the win. Akim has an interesting paradox when it comes to conditioning. Every body part can look dry and feathered, but no matter how peeled he gets he always looks soft in his back. Don’t mistake it, he has tons of muscle back there! I actually think of Akim as Victor Richards with a back!
When he first came out for prejudging, he looked like the clear winner. Williams had the most-feathered and most-developed quads in the top-five. As he stood beside Morel's monstrous back and shoulders though, it was clear there was a difference in overall conditioning. William’s structure was really on display standing next to Morel, but lacked the detail and separation needed to win a show. That being said, this was the best Akim to date. He really brought it, finally. If he can sharpen up and hit the stage again within a couple weekends – he’ll be an IFBB Pro champion in 2018. My advice is to hit Chad Nichol’s show next week, bring the same Olympia-calibre physique and get that elusive qualification.
3rd Place Cedric “Big Mac” McMillan
Cedric simply needs to be more careful in picking his shows throughout a season. Not a great version of Big Mac showed up on stage this weekend and against guys like Morel and Akim - that's going to set him up for a bad time. Cedric can beat almost anyone pro on the scene, but he wasn't ready 100% in terms of conditioning. When’s he’s off, his waist appears a bit thicker than it really is and subsequently, his quads seem narrower. I was thoroughly disappointed. Cedric is a former Arnold Classic champ and he was desfeated by guys he should have easilybeat if he was on. Disheartening performance. I’m still waiting for Cedric to come in to a show shredded, but at this point is far beyond likely. The question is, “does Cedric really give a damn about bringing his all-time best?”
4th Place Antoine Vaillant
Antoine is back! This placing should only motivate Vaillant to keep trudging through the shows this season. I personally had Vaillant third, he was undoubtedly the most "polished" looking athlete on stage. Antoine just needs 5-6 more pounds of muscle before he's winning pro-shows. He told Muscle Insider Publisher Scott Welch that he’s competing next at the Vancouver Pro/Am & Expo. Once that’s done, I'd like to see him focus on keeping a tight offseason and bringing up his back a bit. But what an inspiring comeback!
5th Place Rafael Brandao
Twenty-four year old Brandao slightly missed his mark in prejudging and which cost him two spots in my opinion. This guy has shots like the front-lat-spread and abs-and-thighs that just ooze inspiration and aesthetics. However, he was a little off from behind and he just doesn't carry the muscle mass for that to be ignored. With age on his side and truly remarkable genetics, we expect big things from Brandao if he can pick up a sponsor to give him the financial resources needed to take his physique to the next level.
Was Anyone Overlooked?
I think Jeff Beckham was a little overlooked at this show. He still struggles with chest development but showed up in good enough condition to warrant 5th place in my books. His physique was improved from last season, which is impressive in itself for a bodybuilder as tall as he is. Maher Alasfar and Robin Strand both looked great in their pro debut's and will make first-callouts in 2019. Ken Jackson and Maxx Charles definitely were capable of better but missed their mark. This would’ve been a perfect show for Sasan Heirati to compete in, he may have left Ontario’s capital with a win.
1st Place Zane Watson
I’m a huge fan of Zane and so is John Cardillo, but he really was pushed this weekend. It was a toss-up decision in my books. The definite crowd-favourite of this class, Zane is a master of highlighting the strengths of his physique while hiding his weaknesses. His conditioning and grainy dry look put him slightly ahead of Cody montogomery but he was pushed right to the endge. Look for Zane in the top-six at the Olympia this year. (Editor's Note: Since this contest, Zane has completely transformed his physique using some of John Cardillo's training methods. Read more on John at this link).
2nd Place Cody Montgomery
The long-awaited return to the IFBB Pro stage for Cody Montgomery was still a success even though he didn't get the win. Still in his early twenties, this kid’s got loads of potential. Cody should aim to get a W in 2018 and a spot on the Olympisa stage. Cody was visibly upset with his placing, but I like to see that competitiveness out of young athletes. If I’m Cody, I’m going to the Dallas Europa in two weeks to fight for a win.
3rd Place Mahmoud Al Durrah
Talk about maximizing potential! This guy is well on his way due to constant improvement in muscle mass and conditioning. Structure wise I think he's got his hands full from the back from the waist down, but he does everything he can to offset that. My advice to him is to just keep knocking on the door in 2018, get qualified to the O, get the "Super Bowl of Bodybuilding" debut under his belt and take a long offseason.
Was Anyone Overlooked?
Adolphus Quoida could've been tighter, but still managed a 5th spot in his pro-debut. Hopefully he has a few pounds to grow into the division and will make waves in 2019. I felt as though Vojtech Koritensky (8th) could've been placed in the top-five even though his condition was at his all-time best.
In a division full of competitive athletes, it was Quebec-native Lauralie Chapados who took home the crown. Runner-up Darah Diaz racked up more points towards the Olympia to improve her already impressive total. Canadian Jennifer Dorie rounded out the top three.
In a very close call, Alexis Sullivan came in about as perfect as she could be and topped second-place finisher Melissa Bumstead (who I still had winning). 
Jessica Reyes Padilla from Puerto Rico snatched bronze while Martina Yabekova and Azaria Glaim made Canada proud with fourth and fifth respectively.
Once Darrian Borello hit the stage, it was obvious that she'd win the physique round. She followed it up with a fantastic routine that granted her a spot on the Olympia stage. Sara Kovacs and Dominique Matthews grabbed podium positions.
Akeem Scott, Chase Savoie and Fernando Rios battled centre-stage for their trip to Vegas. In the end, Scott would walk away victorious. But an argument can be made for each one of these great physques to have this win under their belt and I'd like to see Savoie and Rios get back on stage at the next IFBB Pro show immediately.
Terrance Ruffin reigned supreme. No surprise here! I suspect this season Ruffin etches his name into the top-five at the Olympia. Ruffin epitomizes the classic look. He was pushed in prejudging due to a lack of oil and being just a tad watery. At finals, he shut the door and was victorious. Khaled Chikhaoui looked great as well but had to settle for second-place. Beyond those two, the talent steeply dropped-off. It was Aaron Futel that topped the “best-of-the-rest” and was awarded third-place.
The overwhelming size and structure of Margie Martin separated her from the pack. Her side chest might be the best in the division! A solid second place performance from Freak Fitness trained athlete Maria Mikola, who was on a different level from the rest of the field. Third place went to Tananarive Huie who had the best back in this division.
We saw the true potential of many athletes in this division! Firstly, the winner, Daniely Castilho was razor sharp, very full and very dry. She has a tremendously feminine look to her physique and was by far her best version to date. Behind her, Eleanora Dobrinina brought major improvements to Toronto from 2017 and shined on stage. She was able to really push the former Arnold Classic champion but should happily settle for a silver medal. In a bit of a surprise, Georgina D’Abreo rallied for third place with her great structure and overall presentation.
Antoni Khadraoui’s immense v-taper and rock-solid conditioning propelled him into the winner’s circle this weekend. Khadraoui has the upper body many of us all dream of! Following Khadraoui was Daniel Minister in second and Steve Lister in third.