Locals claim 10 placings

Bodybuilders with Wanganui and Marton connections came away with about 10 placings at the 2014 NABBA National Bodybuilding Championships in Palmerston North last weekend.

New Zealand representative Darren Faulkner won the Open Athletic Short grade, although he was disappointed more competitors who had qualified did not turn up.

Meanwhile, Tanja Grunworld, who had turned her hand from football to bodybuilding, claimed the Senior Physique Women 40-plus grade over two opponents.

It was another national title for Faulkner, who will now rejoin the New Zealand team for the Ms & Mr Universe competition in Germany.

"I'm going overseas at the end of the month, so I'm just getting ready for that," he said.

"It's going to be hard over there. [It's] just an honour to go and to be picked."

Among the other men's placings, Isaac Chamberlain was second in the competitive Teenage Men class, while in the Junior men, Joel Ashworth (representing Wellington) was runner-up and Marton rugby player Mundsan Ah Chong was fifth.

Joaquim de Farias competed in the Novice Physique Men Short, which like Faulkner's, was a two-man grade.

Brendan Taylor was second in the bigger Novice Physique Men Tall, while Mark Kaipo did not place in Novice Athletic Tall, which was the biggest men's section.

In Open Physique Men Tall, Craig Brider was fourth while Thomas Tataurangi also competed, and Ben Coll was second in a competitive Open Athletic Tall grade.

For the women's events, Alison Richards was third in Senior Figure 50-plus, while Jan Dixon came second in Open Physique Women Short behind Tauranga's Tina Merriman, who went on to win the overall Ms NABBA New Zealand Physique.

Faulkner said the Wanganui competitors punched above their weight and he was pleased to see the growth of entries from this region in the two years since he started taking part.

"It's a good representation. I expected Isaac [Chamberlain] to win. There's a lot of guys who lift weights in this town. We are starting to get a reputation.

"Hopefully one day we might win the national provincial title."

On the night, the home crew of Manawatu won the NPC for the first time with 117 points combined from all the placings of their entries.

Overall there were 160 competitors, down slightly from the 175 who took part in the 2013 nationals in Auckland.