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First time for International Federation of Body Building event in Am Samoa

The 2018 Sau Ia (IFBB) Body Building Overall Women’s Champion, Titiula Manuma. [photo: TG]Overall Men’s Masters Winner – Floyd Scanlan flexing for the judges. [photo: TG]Winner of the Over 70kg Category, Aunese ‘Ounce’ Tauinaola during his Most Muscular pose. [photo: TG]Guest Poser during last Saturday night’s 2018 Sau Ia Body Building Championship, John Lemoa – the 2017 Champion of Samoa’s Body Building competition, showing off his double biceps for the crowd. [photo: TG]Overall Men’s Physique Winner, Joseph Asiata saluting the crowd. [photo: TGWomen’s Junior Overall Winner Monique Hollister. [photo: TG]Men’s Junior Overall Winner, Fa’afetai So’oalo. [photo: TG]2018 Sau Ia (IFBB) Body Building Overall Men’s Champion, Ben Matale Fili – flexing for the crowd. [photo: TG]
tony@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The 3rd Annual Sau Ia Body Building Championship held at the Gov. H. R. Lee Auditorium last Saturday evening was the first time the International Federation of Body Building (IFBB) hosted an event in the territory. Samoa’s Ben Matale Fili is the Overall Winner of the Men’s Body Building Champion; while the Overall Winner of the Women’s Body Building Champion is Titiula Manuma of Nu’uuli.

During the opening ceremony, the President of Sau Ia Peter Reid announced that this was the first time the IFBB is hosting a body building competition in the territory.

He added, “Another first for us is that this is the first time that we have our brothers from the neighboring Samoa visit us with a team of five contestants, and we’re very proud to have them here led here by Samoa’s Body Building President.”

“Another first for this year is our partnership with the American Samoa Government, we’d like to extend our thank you to the Department of Health — this is the first time that we’ll have scholarships offered to our winners, a total of five $5,000 scholarships offered by Argosy University” Reid said.

The representative of New Zealand’s International Federation of Body Building Esther Tofilau spoke on behalf of IFBB acknowledging, “Sau Ia’s collaboration with the American Samoan Government, I think that’s what it’s all about. Health and wellness, our landscapes and many of our countries have changed so it’s really good to see the progress.”

Tofilau said, “I am here to represent IFBB, we have a total of 193 countries, and the last country was actually American Samoa who joined us last year and they are officially a member of the federation. We hold over 2,500 annual events worldwide. We were established in 1946.”

The winner of the 2018 (IFBB) Sau Ia Body Building Championship was 21 year old Ben Matale Fili of Faleula, Samoa.

Samoa News spoke to the Champion who competed for the second time in IFBB competition – his first appearance on stage was last year’s Samoa’s Body Building Championship, where he won 1st Place in the Juniors category, and 2nd Place Overall in the Men’s competition.

According to Fili, “At first I couldn’t believe it, but it was a dream come true for me. My family was all I thought about, you know, I always want to make my family especially my parents proud of me — I know they weren’t here to watch me perform but I was very glad and very excited to bring the championship home.”

He’s thanks and acknowledges those who’ve supported him along the way to this competition, “Firstly I want to thank our almighty Heavenly Father who made this possible for me. A big fa’afetai and fa’amalo to my family, especially to my parents and sister. To my colleagues and workmates for being the realists and being very supportive  – a special thank you to my major sponsor Joes Gym #teamJoe and to my personal trainer John Lemoa, thank you all very much.”

WINNERS OF CATEGORIES

Overall Men’s Body Building Champion — Ben Matale Fili.

Overall Women’s Body Building Champion — Titiula Manuma.

Winner of the Women’s Junior Category – Monique Hollister.

Women Physique Overall Winner — Titiula Manuma, 2nd Place — Casey Manuka.

Winner of the Overall Men’s Junior Category — Fa’afetai So’oalo.

Winner of the Overall Men’s Physique — Joseph Asiata.

Men’s Masters Category — Floyd Scanlan, 2nd Place — David Fanene.

Men’s Over 70kg — Aunese Tauinaola, 2nd Place — Joseph Asiata.

Men’s Over 80kg Category – Ben Matale Fili, 2nd Place — David Fanene.

Men’s Over 90kg Category – Bert Fuiava, 2nd Place — Lomi Lole.

Men’s Over 100kg Category — Carl Brighouse, 2nd Place — Floyd Scanlan