Gilroy brings champion’s belt to Cayman

Gilroy with his latest rewards


The trophy collection


Gilroy posing after his win

Wednesday,  October 5, 2005

Gilroy Jouavel followed his friend to the gym in 2000 just to kill some free time and a year later he was the CIBBF 2001 GNC Body Building and Fitness champion.

Originally from St Lucia with no body building experience, he pulled it off by sheer determination. “In order to gain result, you have to do the work,” he told The Jamaican in Cayman upon returning from New York where a first place victory netted him the coveted 2005 INBF Natural Mania National Open Men Light Weight belt and the trophy for overall first place. muscle mass (how defined the body is) and appearance.

Over eighty contestants from the United States entered into the competition with Gilroy, the only out of state contestant. “It felt great to represent this region,” he said. 

According to Gilroy, he started to participate in the sport out of fascination, but grew to love it for several reasons. 

“The mere fact that it is natural makes it wonderful for me,” he said. “Everybody competes on an equal playing field.” According to Susan Wilson, President of the Cayman Islands Natural Body Building Association, the rules require participants to be free of all performance enhancement drugs for at least seven years.

Working full time at the West Inn Hotel, Gilroy has to juggle his training around his work. “It is tough leading up to a competition,” he said.

Speaking about his training schedule, he said to manage a full shift at work and to keep up with the exercise, he has to be at the gym as early as it is open and sometimes return after work. This schedule leading up to the contest took him away from his family for the greater part of the daylight hours.

“The trophies are my reward. They are mine,” his wife remarked humbly. A father of five, two in the Cayman Islands and three back in St. Lucia, he said he would like his children to become interested in the sport. “At least the two who are here see what I do everyday. They may be motivated to follow in my footsteps,” he said.

Gilroy sees Bodybuilding as a growing sport in the Cayman Islands. “Every time we have a meeting we have new people joining the Association,” he said and gave special thanks to the association and all those who helped to make it possible for him to become the champion. “It would not be possible without them,” he said.

In five weeks he will be on his way back to New York to compete in the World’s Champion Body Building competition. “It’s going to be a tough competition,” he acknowledged but said he is confident going into it hoping to add another trophy to his collection. 

Cayman body building fans will have the chance to see him and several other “boyz and galz” in the 2005 Bodybuilding Extreme Championships at the Lions Community Center on Saturday November 5, 2005. 

There will be four categories of skillfully sculptured body walking across the platform. The Novice Men, The Open Men, The Open Women and the Women Figure. 

According to Susan Wilson, over twenty-five competitors have already signed up and the list is still growing. The competition will be a promotional and fun raising event put on by the Cayman Islands Natural Bodybuilding Associations, which will be hosting the Caribbean Grand Prix and the WNBF Pro Mr. And Mrs. Universe next June in one grand show.

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