To achieve greatness, one must learn from one’s mistakes, pick up the pieces and press on.
The year 2019 has been a bitter-sweet one for national body-builder Emmerson Campbell. Overall, he was able to achieve his personal best, but as the saying goes, ‘You win some and you lose some’.
Emmerson Campbell (right) and Yannick Grimes have both represented Guyana at the 2019 CAC Body Building Championships
Campbell was extremely proud at being able to achieve his fourth National Men’s Physique title, and further went on to represent Guyana in the CAC Championship in the Dominican Republic, where he placed 7th in the under 174 cm.
That placement had left Campbell befuddled, since he believed he was in better form than the form he had in 2018. In an interview with Guyana Times Sport Campbell said, “For me, the high point of 2019 was winning my fourth National Men’s Physique title and representing Guyana at my fourth CAC Championships in the Dominican Republic.
“Although I lost by one point in 2018, and placed 7th in 2019, it was still an honour to represent the Golden Arrowhead, despite not placing on the podium.
“It was my worst placing ever at the event, since I placed fourth at my first outing in the Bahamas in 2015. Nevertheless, it was my best package to date, in my opinion. My low point was placing out of the first call out at CAC. That has never happened before. I was shocked and disappointed. But it’s a subjective sport, and that’s how it goes sometimes. Sometimes the judges are not seeing on stage what you are seeing in the mirror. To turn the low into the high has to do with me just being a better athlete; better in all areas: size, conditioning and stage presentation.”
Campbell has said he would not allow this result to discourage him, since he has attained both silver and bronze in the CAC Championships, and his hunger for gold has increased even more. He explained that he would be aiming to attain gold in Colombia this year.
Campbell’s closing remarks were, “Many thanks to Jamie McDonald of Fitness Express; National Sports Commission; Guyana Olympic Association; Bounty Farm Ltd; Abdool and Abdool, Insurance Company; and Space Gym, for their continued support in enabling me to represent Guyana at the highest Regional level.”
