MANILA, Philippines - Dondon Cortuna bested the country’s leading bodybuilders to capture the overall crown in Maskulino Pilipino national bodybuilding championships at the Mindanao Civic Center in Tubod, Lanao del Norte recently.
Cortuna beat five other contenders in the professional division then defeated the winners from the other divisions in the traditional posedown. He won P50,000.
“It was very difficult for the judges,” said organizer Ringo Borlain of the Philippine Bodybuilding Sports Federation. “Even during the pre-judging in the morning, they kept on asking the competitors to pose against each other for comparison. The athletes were exhausted.”
The event was sponsored by the provincial government of Lanao del Norte.
Earlier, the Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (ABBF) presented its Gold Medal Award to Gov. Khalid Dimaporo for his support of the sport.
Meanwhile, the next edition of Maskulino Pilipino will be held in July 2011 in conjunction with the “Araw ng Lanao Norte” celebrations.