Competitors in the Mr Myanmar body building competition pose for the judges.

FORMER Mr Myanmar Khine Lin capped a remarkable comeback with a comprehensive win in the 2009 Mr Myanmar Body Building Championship on February 10.
The 46-year-old Khine Lin, who retired in 1998, blitzed his much younger opposition at the Myanmar Convention Center (MCC) and proved that age is no barrier to success, at least in body building.

Khine Lin said after the competition that the age difference inspired him to victory.

“I had to leave the national body building team when I was 35 years old and a younger body builder took my place. From that time I decided – I was determined – to show that older body builders can still be competitive and actually beat their younger opponents,” Khine Lin told The Myanmar Times.

He flexed and grunted with the best of them, exhibiting taut leg and arm muscles as the nine judges and audience watched on in awe. Measuring 5 feet and 10 inches (178cm) tall and weighing 91 kilograms, his body mass looked harmonised and evenly distributed, belying the 10 years he had spent out of competition.

“Although I retired from competitive body building in 1998, I have never stopped practicing. When this competition drew near, I scheduled a three-month training program and practised hard, closely watching my diet,” Khine Lin said.

Not all his opponents were quick to pay tribute to Khine Lin’s comeback, however. Second-placed Aung Khaing Win – last year’s Mr Myanmar (Senior) – said he lost because he preferred to focus on international rather than local success.

“In previous years my main rival has been Aung Swe Naing and I didn’t think Khine Lin would take part in this competition. I always use less energy preparing for the local competition because I need to be careful to save energy for international competitions. I think that if I used all of my energy when making my chest, back and thigh poses in this competition, I would have been able to retain my Mr Myanmar title,” Aung Khine Win said.

In the competition Aung Khine Win at least appeared to be putting everything into his poses and the judges were especially pleased with his bicep and abdominal efforts.

Just behind him in third was Aung Swe Naing, who got the crowd going with an exciting individual rhythmic routine accompanied by energetic music.

In stature and body shape, at least, he was Khine Lin’s equal but his weakness in posing, particularly in the back spread and back double bicep pose, was shown up by the 2009 champion.

Asian Beach Games 2008 competitor Min Zaw Oo had to be satisfied with fourth position in the competition and 2007 SEA Games competitors Than Naing and Zaw Wan finished sixth and seventh respectively. Eight competitors took part in the senior competition.

Earlier in the day Aung Chan Lin took out the Mr Myanmar (Junior) title, ahead of 17 other competitors including Maung Kyaw in second and Maung Maung Kyi in third.