The winner of the figure overall title, Christina Tudela, poses for a photo with Miss Earth 2022 Katherine Maria Johnson and Coca-Cola Beverage Micronesia Co. representatives during the 2022 DC Classic Bodybuilding & Fitness Championship at Saipan World Resort in Nov. 2022.
Davy Laxa poses for a photo after winning second place in the short class of the men’s physique category of the 2023 Dee Clayton Classic & Northern Marianas Bodybuilding Federation at the Saipan World Resort’s Taga Hall in June 2023.
CHRISTINA Tudela and Davy Laxa will represent the NMI in the sport of bodybuilding at the 2023 Pacific Games, which will be held from Nov. 19 to Dec. 2 in Honiara, the Solomon Islands.
Both have competed in local bodybuilding competitions and went through a preparation and selection process.
Tudela is an experienced competitor who took the spotlight in the 2022 Dee Clayton Classic Bodybuilding & Fitness Championship by winning three titles — overall and first place in the figure category and first place in the wellness category.
Tudela started competing in 2020 and won first place in the bikini category in 2021, and third place in the figure category in 2022.
Asked about representing the NMI in the Pacific Games, she said: “I was both excited and nervous when I did my final pre-selection check-in, but relieved when I found out I was selected. On the other hand, at that moment, I also came to the realization that now the pressure’s really on and I must work as hard as I ever have.”
Tudela said her goal is to have fun and bring home the gold. “There are 24 participating countries so I assume it will be a very diverse show. I am going to work my hardest to bring forth the best package I can bring, put on a great show, and gain recognition for our islands. Personally, my main goal is to inspire others to adopt a healthy lifestyle and help the bodybuilding community grow,” she added.
Tudela has been training to bring her body fat percentage down. “Now in the final weeks of prep, I am mainly focusing on muscle groups that need more definition and continuing to shed body fat until I reach my target percentage for the show.”
For his part, Davy Laxa won second place in the short class of two separate categories in the local competition last June — the men’s physique and classic physique.
“I don’t have that long of an experience — I just started competing this year,” he said. “So my goal right now is to bring a better package for the Solomon Islands than I had in June. As for next year, I want to get the overall title for classic physique, then I’ll see what goes on after that.”
