M.E SPECIAL
Cobus van der Merwe
Achieving IFBB pro status at
the Amateur Olympia Africa
Shanti
Mitchell,
crowned the
2014 IFBB
South African
Overall
champion
THE
YEAR OF
QUADZILLA
The headstrong Chris
Fitzpatrick dominated
2013, both in terms of
the competitive stage
and the front of Muscle
Evolution. After appearing
on the January/February
cover with Andrew Hudson,
Chris went on to win the
2013 IFBB South African
Championships Overall
title with the awesome size
and muscle maturity that
defines this champion. With
the victory under the belt,
Chris forever cemented
himself into the history
books as one of South
Africa's finest bodybuilders
and earned his second
cover of the year – his
third in total – when he
appeared on the front of the
November/December issue.
Louis Bessinger also lived
up to his promise and all
the hype, at the second
time of asking, when he
lined up once again as a
junior athlete, this time in
the recently added under
23 junior division. Louis
took his second chance
with both hands and went
on to secure the title of
IFBB Amateur Junior World
champion in 2013. With his
drive and passion there is
nothing stopping him from
achieving his dream of being
one of the great names in
bodybuilding history. He
has the size to hang with
the mass monsters and his
trademark conditioning at
shows is always hard to beat.
Louis Bessinger se-
cured the title of IFBB
Amateur Junior World
champion in 2013
56
Chris Fitzpatrick
dominated 2013
COVER
LEADER-
BOARD
Below are some of the
champion bodybuilders
who featured on our
magazine’s front cover
on more than one
occassion
Shannon won
the Ladies’
Overall title
and received
her pro card
at the Amateur
Olympia Africa
6
PROS APLENTY
In 2014 we started the year
off on a good note when we
broke the news of Marius
Dohne's planned comeback, the
magnitude of which warranted
his fifth cover – a new record.
We also celebrated with the
news that Andrew Hudson had
finally fulfilled his immense
promise to achieve his IFBB pro
card after winn ing the super-
heavyweight division at the
Amateur Arnold in Columbus.
Ohio in March 2014.
It was also a huge honour to
place super-heavyweight Shanti
Mitchell, crowned the 2014 IFBB
South African Overall champion
on the cover of Muscle Evolution's
final issue of 2014, after all of
his hard work and dedication
finally paid off. Shanti made a
commitment to himself to take
his training, nutrition and dieting
to the next level to shine on stage
and we cannot wait to see what
damage he will inflict on the
bodybuilding circuit in 2015
and beyond.
The Amateur Olympia Africa
was undoubtedly the most highly
anticipated event on the local
bodybuilding calendar in 2014 as
it gave deserving local athletes
the ideal opportunity to achieve
their pro cards in front of friends,
family and local supporters. When
October rolled around Cobus van
der Merwe stepped up to the
occasion to fulfil a life-long dream
of achieving IFBB pro status. His
story is one of belief, passion,
commitment and determination –
great tools to have in any serious
bodybuilder's arsenal. We proudly
featured Cobus for the third time
on the cover of Muscle Evolution
following his success, on the first
issue of 2015.
However, he wasn't the only
one to seize the opportunity
as Shannon Atkinson beat out
some stiff competition to win the
Ladies' Overall title and walk off
with that coveted pro card at the
Amateur Olympia Africa.
Having announced his return
in the magazine Marius Dohne
earned the right to his sixth
Muscle Evolution cover following
the discipline, focus, hard-work
and determination he showed
to return to the pro stage. He
returned to face huge names in
the bodybuilding arena despite
a health setback and took a very
credible, albeit controversial 11th
place at the 2015 Arnold Classic.
This effort firmly cemented his
status as the most profiled athlete
in our publishing history, and
rightfully so.
The sport of bodybuilding
continues to evolve, as does
our editorial content and our
approach to design. We promise
to remain on the cusp of every
new development in the world of
bodybuilding to bring the bigger
picture to our new and loyal
followers – be it on the pages of
a magazine, on the 'air' during a
podcast, visually through videos
or on the ever-expanding social
media and digital platforms
available on the Internet. Watch
this space – we've only just
started to warm up! M.E
MARIUS DOHNE
4
SHAMEEN ADAMS
3
CHRIS FITZPATRICK
3
COBUS VAN
DER MERWE
3
JUSTIN THACKER
2
QUINTON FONG
4
HENNIE KOTZE
3
ANDREW HUDSON
3
JOHN LESLIE
3
GARY STRYDOM
2
LOUIS BESSINGER
2
ANDRE VAN
DER MESCHT