Bahamian national bodybuilding overall champion Jimmy Norius is set to compete in the IFBB National Physique Committee Florida Grand Prix this weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida. He will compete in a number of divisions. (Photos: Jimmy Norius)
After accumulating a laundry list of bodybuilding awards over the past four years, Bahamian Jimmy Norius is poised to strike yet again - this time, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Norius, the reigning national bodybuilding overall champion, will compete at the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness' (IFBB) National Physique Committee (NPC) Florida Grand Prix Meet May 13-14, and by all accounts, he is expected to be one of the top participants at that event.
In addition, if everything goes according to expectations, he could pick up a significant sponsor by way of a supplement company.
"It would be a good opportunity for me to get my name out there and gain exposure in magazines and publications of that nature... not just as a bodybuilder, but as an anti-aging, classic men's physique representative, because that is the direction the industry is going in right now.
The NPC is the premier amateur physique organization in the world. Since 1982, the top athletes in bodybuilding, fitness, figure, bikini and physique have started their careers in the NPC. Many of those athletes graduated to successful careers in the IFBB Professional League, a list that includes 24 Olympia and 38 Arnold Classic winners.
"This is actually my first time competing at this event," Norius said. "I am really going to be there by invitation... the show's promoter saw the way I looked at the Miami Muscle Beach Challenge (April 4 in Miami Beach) and asked me to be a part of the grand prix."
Norius walked away with four first place awards from the Muscle Beach Challenge- open middleweight, overall masters, men's over 40 physique and masters lightweight.
At the NPC Florida Grand Prix he will compete in the men's open physique category, where he is expected to face men about 20 years his junior. He will also compete in the men's physique masters in both the 35 and 40 age group divisions, and he will participate in the men's bodybuilding open and men's masters divisions.
Norius said that South Florida is almost like a second home to him, and is confident that he will represent The Bahamas well.
"I went to school in Pompano Beach," he said, "I have a brother who lives there, my son is from Florida and my wife lived there for a period of time, so I have an emotional attachment to Florida. This will be my first time however going into West Palm Beach," he continued, "but I just love the energy that Florida has to give.
"For me to be representing The Bahamas there feels good. I've been competing in Florida for about four years and they always look forward to seeing Mr. Bahamas come over. It's always a great experience.
"It's always great to go over there and mash things up and let them know that The Bahamas is ranked number one in bodybuilding in the region. This event is just another opportunity for me to represent The Bahamas in the discipline of bodybuilding, because all sports came from bodybuilding - you have to hit the gym to become great at your sport."
Norius said that he likens The Bahamas to the biblical Nazareth. He said that while Rome was the world power at that time, the "Chosen One", Jesus Christ, came out of Nazareth.
"I call The Bahamas Nassau-reth," he joked. "The top bodybuilders and athletes in the region call Nassau-reth their home. We may be a small country, but we rank number one in the world in sports. We have such a wide variety of world-class athletes that I think Bahamians need to understand the magnitude of our sporting influence on the world stage."
The NPC Grand Prix weigh-ins are on May 13 and the pre-judging and finals are set for May 14.
Devin Francis, Production Editor
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