Darling reflects on championships

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH he's been back home for at least two weeks, James 'Jay' Darling is still trying to figure out why he didn't make it to the final of the 63rd World Men's Bodybuilding Championships.

The lone Bahamian to compete in the championships in Doha, Qatar from November 3-4, Darling said the competition was extremely tough, but he felt he should have been one of the six competitors in the final of the 80 kilogram class or middleweight.

"There were about 167 male competitors from 54 countries that competed," said Darling, who is still recuperating from a 13-hour flight from Washington to Qatar and a half hour ride through the terminal before he was picked up by the organising committee.

"I went in at a lower weight of 167 pounds. I usually compete at 176 pounds. I was about 10 pounds under weight. I felt pretty good going into the semifinals because I really thought I would have made the final based on how I looked."

Having met two judges from Trinidad & Tobago, Darling said he also got some assurance from both of them that he stood a good chance of making the final, so he was really surprised when he didn't make it.

Without anybody from the Bahamas to assist him, Darling said the two Trinidadians assisted and they made sure that he was properly oiled down and ready to go out on stage.

None of them, however, judged the 80 kg that Darling competed in.

Out of a field of 16 competitors, Darling said one didn't make it out for the semifinal and after getting called out twice, he felt he looked good in the comparison with his rivals.

But after the comparison, his name appeared in the eighth spot, two shy of getting into the final.

"That was extremely disappointing," said Darling, the Bahamian national champion who went on to win his division at the Central American and Caribbean Championships.

"A couple of the judges talked to me and gave me some positive feed back. But I was very disappointed, not in how I looked and how I performed, but where I was placed. A good competitor will always be disappointed until they win the competition."

Winning the divisional title was Dohee Lee from Korea. He was followed by Conrad Nagel from South Africa, Mauricio Garza from Mexico, Yusuf Arafat from Bahrain, Mahmoud Neamartalla from Egypt and Hristomir Hristov from Bulgaria.

"I really don't know why they didn't select me," Darling said. "I was inquiring about it because I thought I should have placed higher. I wasn't trying to be biased. But after looking at the pictures, I really thought I should have placed higher.

"But I guess I should have known. Things like that happen. Sometimes it's who you know because with events like this there's a lot of politicking going on and you don't have anybody in your corner, they don't give you that second look."

Despite not getting an opportunity to strut his stuff in the final, Darling, a member of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force where he serves as a training officer, said having had the experience of travelling and competing in the event for the first time, he will definitely be better prepared when he compete again next year.

"I got some help from a good friend of mine, Deide Bastian, who was very instrumental in me getting to Qatar and liasiing with the officials," said Darling, who also noted that the trip could not have been possible without the financial support he got from so many people.

Among them were Prolab and Natrol, his official sponsors from Bahamas Suplly Agencies Limited; Steve Haughey and The Tribune and 100 Jamz; Sandy Schaefer and Robin Hood; Mr Thomas from Commonwealth Bank; the Royal Bahamas Defense Force; Bally's Fitness Center and Archie Nairn, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.