Winner of the men's senior competition Aung Khine Win (L) poses with Aung Swe Naing (C) and Tun Tun Oo (R). Pic: Thein Win Nyo

BODIES soaked in tanning oil and barely clad in tight speedos were the stars of the show at the Mr and Miss Quench bodybuilding and beauty contest on June 16.

And while the men paraded their chiselled physiques the women sashayed onto stage in gorgeous traditional dresses to be judged on their body structure.

Held at the Convention Centre on June 16, the contest attracted an audience that filled around half of the seats and included two new classes of competition – a bodybuilding competition for men over 50 and a beauty contest for women under the age of 21.

Adding further zing to the show was the announcement that the Myanmar Bodybuilding Federation would be using the event to select their team of bodybuilders for the upcoming 24th Southeast Asian Games.

In the over-50s competition 76-year-old U Kyin Saing surprised everyone by coming out and showing he can still put on a strong performance.

The audience gave strong support to all participants but the over-50s class received more applause than any other. Particularly well-liked by the crowd were U Khon Tin Maung Maung and U Pyar, the eventual class winner.

At one stage U Pyar brought down the house by flexing his stomach muscles in a circle, prompting one boisterous member of the crowd to yell out: “Bravo, you’re only 16, not 50!”

The audience erupted into laughter but U Pyar maintained his composure and pose.

A crowd favourite in the under-21s women’s class was eventual winner Han Nway Nyein, while the top three finishers in the open category – Khin Sandar Myint, Wut Yi Phyo and Su Su San – also received heavy applause.

Part of the women’s competition was a series of 10 questions on health, psychology and society, nine of which had been recycled from the Miss Myanmar contest.

Mindful of the SEA Games chances, the bodybuilders flexed their muscles to near-bursting point to impress the judges, who struggled to pick a winner and asked several contenders to retake the stage for another showing.

Winners of the Mr and Miss Quench competitions were Aung Khine Win and Su Su San. In the junior competitions the winners were Aung Chan Linn and Han Nway Nyein, while U Pyar won the over-50s competition and donated his winnings of K50,000 to the Myanmar Bodybuilding Federation.