The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THREE more Bahamians, including Serena Salis Decius-Norius, have earned their professional cards after winning their respective divisions at the MCP Worldwide Caribbean Grand Prix at the Atlantis resort, Paradise Island, on Saturday

While Decius-Norius emerged as the overall women’s physique champion, fitness instructor Dekel Nesbitt earned her card as the women’s figure overall champion and Briceston Anderson joined them by clinching the men’s physique overall title.

A number of other Bahamians also participated in the show. Here’s a look at how they finished: Dawn Charlton won the women’s bikini Class C category, Dorcas Cox got third in the women’s figure masters 50-and-over, Jomar Farquharson was third in the men’s bodybuilding light heavyweight and Gemo Smith was second in the men’s physique masters 40-and-over.

Also, Godfrey Stephen Robinson took first in men’s bodybuilding 50 years and over category, Ricardo Mitchell placed first in the men’s classic bodybuilding novice division, Wellington Wallace and DeAngelo Edmund got second and third respectively in the men’s physique category and Edmund also won the men’s physique novice division.

For Decius-Norius, her victory was very special as she joined her husband Jimmy Norius as the only Bahamian couple to hold their pro cards at the same time. “I surprised myself because I was training for figure, but on Friday night, I decided to go for the physique,” she said.

“So when I signed up, I signed up for the two categories. I won my pro card in the physique, so I am so happy that I decided to go in the physique.

“I cut my routine short in the figure because I wanted to save myself for the physique. Now me and Jimmy are the first husband and wife in the Bahamas to have earned their pro card. Now my confidence is in the roof.”

Decius-Norius, however, said she still prefers to compete in the figure category because she can maintain her physique. She said she will continue to work on her performances so that she can compete in that category more than the physique where it’s so much harder because of the competition she will face.

“I decided to try them both because when you lose one time, you want to be able to see if you can do anything different in the other,” she said. “I have some time to get some rest and get my body ready for next month, so hopefully I can see how well I can compete in both figure and physique.”

Her husband, Jimmy, said it now makes it so much easier for the two of them to travel together and compete on the same stage in the same show.

“Sometime when we travel, she can only get to compete because she was a still an amateur and there were no pro segments, so I couldn’t compete,” Norius said. “But when that she gets her pro card, we can both train to compete in the same show. I am happy for her It feels so good.”

in critiquing his wife’s performance, Norius said she delivered a complete package.

“Her symmitry, her posing, her harmony, her balance, her density, everything just came together at the right time,” he pointed out. “She went up against bigger girls in the physique, but she was more proportionate.

“They placed her in the middle immediately and they kept her in the middle. Anybody who knows anything about bodybuilding, when they place you in the middle during a pose down, you automatically win it.”

Now that they both can enjoy the benefits of being professionals in the sport, Norius said their next goal is to qualify for Mr. Olympia or Masters Olympian.

“So we will regroup, reset and work on getting ready for our show, hopefully in May or June,” Norius said. “I’m no longer on the subvention from the government, so we have to change our budget. I don’t know why they took me off, but I have to change the way we approach our training and competition without the subvention.”

Norius, however, said he’s not too concerned about it because at least his wife is now a pro builder just like him, which makes it so much better for them as they continue in the sport.