It was clear from the beginning that this would another contest that was over before it ever really started. The 25 competitors lined the stage and a quick scan across showed that four-time winner Ronnie Coleman was far ahead of everyone else. Unlike last year when Jay Cutler actually beat Coleman, but was awarded with only second place, this year there was no such rival. Still, the rest of the pack is pretty well-conditioned and the fight for second place on down may well be fierce. It was clear from the first callout that Kevin Levrone and Chris Cormier are being favored for the top spots. Neither competitor is in their best condition, but they are in very good condition and each would make worthy runner-up competitors. Kevin's not quite as hard as he was on 2000 and his legs are still light, but he's good and can out-pose most of the rest with ease. Cormier isn't as hard as he should be, and perhaps worse, doesn't seem to have a fighter's instinct onstage -- perhaps he's disgruntled he won't be in first. In terms of the other competitors, the much-anticipated return of Flex Wheeler has turned into the non-event of the year. Flex looked small, smooth, and didn't seem to even condition his skin well or put on any oil -- and that's not to mention the rather, ahem, odd-looking calves. Out of the 25 competitors he should not be in the top 10, but you never really know if the judges will see things the same way since he is a well-liked past champion. And speaking of those, while Nasser El Sonbaty doesn't have quite the same problems as Flex, he showed up again in condition that should not see him in the top 10. The last couple of years he was blessed with some generous placings, but I think his luck may be running out. And while Flex has his calves, Nasser has those shoulders. Gunter Schlierkamp, mind you, has never placed to high, but deserves to here -- geez, the guy supposedly hit 300 pounds on the scale? It also helps that the audience loves Gunter. And then there's the opposite end of the spectrum with diminutive Lee Priest. His height is quoted as anywhere from 5'2" to 5'4", but that doesn't really matter in this sport. Side-by-side against the huge guys, he can hold his own. And when it comes to huge guys, there are few as big as Markus Ruhl. I saw Markus guest-pose in July when he was said to weigh an astounding 330 pounds -- and looked it in more ways than one. Markus shed a number of pounds since then, and although he could stand to lose another 10 to be really ripped, he's well-conditioned here and should manage a top 10. If he doesn't make the top tier this year, I suspect the huge number of fans he has in the audience will be rightly upset. Speaking of improving, Craig Titus didn't make the top 10 last year, but he should make it this year. Thicker and harder, he won't crack top 5, but he's far better than more than half the other competitors here. And in a reversal of fortune, Titus' arch-rival King Kamali easily beat Titus last year; this year, though, things switched around quite drastically. He actually looked smaller and less defined than in 2001. He better have a fantastic posing routine again if he wants to manage any type of respectable placing. Then there's Dexter Jackson -- a guy that constantly keeps getting screwed in his placings. I've heard some say he's too small. But if that's true, why don't Gunter and Markus win all the shows? It's because bodybuilding is about more than just size. Dexter has a fantastic physique with wonderful shape and outstanding conditioning. Should he be top 5? Yes. Will he be? You never know. One other guy I'll mention is Art Atwood. Art won in Toronto this year and has been talked about a lot lately. Art showed up in good overall condition, although flawed. His legs are simply far ahead of his upper body in size and conditioning -- in fact, his legs are so vascular here they're scary! His abs are also amazing, particularly for a big guy. His arms, shoulders, and chest, though, just are't up to the rest -- at least today. Still, he may well crack a top-10 placing and that's pretty darn good. Doug Schneider's top-3 predictions: Ronnie will win with ease (the only question will be how long he will lie down for on the stage, and how long his acceptance speech will be); Kevin Levrone will likely squeak into second; and Chris Cormier will take third -- although I'd rather see Lee Priest get the third spot. Highlight Photos
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