Is it too late to change our prediction for the Ms. International? On paper, we liked Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia to end Iris Kyle’s reign, but the pre-judging on Friday afternoon dictated otherwise. Oriquen-Garcia looked smaller and much smoother than she did at the Ms. Olympia last September, while Kyle seems to have added a little to her physique.
Kyle looked unbeatable from the rear, as usual. And her new hairstyle looks great. (Don’t want to sound like a sissy, but it does count for something with the women.) She did come in what was described as “a little under the weather” by MD’s Shawn Ray and it showed when she was on the side during the second call-outs. Kyle was being attended to by the show personnel and appeared to be dehydrating. Just goes to show you what a great champion she is.
The other three women in the first call-out were Debi Laszewski, Alina Popa and Betty Viana-Adkins. Laszewski looks as if she will either take third or even have a shot at the runner-up position if the judges agree that Oriquen-Garcia is off. Popa may be the surprise of the night and brings a much more streamlined look to the stage that is much needed in the sport. Viana-Adkins took a year off and that appears to have been the right move.
The finals will be here soon, so stay tuned with MSM, our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates and analysis.