Tudela, Fejeran top women’s competition

Christina Tudela won first place in the short class figure and wellness competition in the 2022 Dee Clayton Classic championships last Saturday at the Saipan World Resort. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Christina Tudela collected two first place wins in the short class figure and wellness categories, while Ha’ane Isa Fejeran topped the short class bikini category in last Saturday’s 2022 Dee Clayton Classic at the Saipan World Resort.

The three-year DC Classic competitor Tudela bested one other competitor in the short figure category and was the lone entry in the wellness category.

The 29-year-old single mom was emotional after the competition, saying she “came back and tried harder this year—more focused despite having a really busy home life, work life, and mom life. I just tried to persevere, so this is a really big thing for me.”

Ha’ane Isa Fejeran won first place in the short class bikini competition in the 2022 Dee Clyton Classic championships last Saturday at the Saipan World Resort.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO )

This was the first time Tudela joined the category of wellness and second time in the figure category. Last year, she placed third in figure and in 2020 won first place for the bikini category.

Jastine Doria placed second after Tudela, with Lady Vanessa Dancoe placing first in the tall figure category. Doria also placed first as the lone entry in the women’s physique category.

Women competitors of the 2022 Dee Clayton Classic championships pose for a group photo. From left, Ha’ane Isa Fejeran, Christina Tudela, Jastine Doria, Maria Lael Terlaje, Shey Owens, Lady Vanessa Dancoe, Gabrial Johnson, and Julony Indalecio.(LEIGH GASES)

Ha’ane Isa Fejeran placed first in the short class bikini category, with Shey Owens in second place, while former Miss Northern Mariana Islands Earth 2020, Maria Lael Terlaje, won first place as the lone entry in the tall class bikini category respectively. 

The 27-year-old Fejeran was greeted with loud cheers and screams from the crowd and said, “to be honest, I wasn’t even aware that I had won because the crowd was wild! [And] it wasn’t until we went backstage that I had to ask someone what just happened but the feeling was surreal because I started my prep [kind of] late [and] life kept getting in the way which made things difficult.” 

She recalled the difficulty of preparation and said “there were many times I wanted to drop out [and] just eat an entire pint of ice cream. But I had a really great support team that always held me accountable & made sure I kept my head in the game.”

The 2019 Guam’s National Bodybuilding Championships bikini bronze medalist added, “I started my prep at about 16 weeks out which is about three months long. Three months of nothing but chicken and broccoli, gallons [and] gallons of water [and] intense training. Luckily, I have a great coach who helps me understand the science behind the meals I eat [and] the training I do.”

She was coached by Steve Oshiro who was also her trainer in the 2019 Guam’s National Bodybuilding Championships. “My very first competition was in Guam back in 2019. I was probably like 23 [years old] at the time [and] I had plans on competing shortly after but COVID-19 hit [and] everyone’s plans for 2020 was pushed back completely. I’m 27 now [and] I’ve been out [of] the game for two years so competing this year was something I thought I owed to myself. The human body is constantly transforming [and] will give what you ask from it so long as you take care of it.”

The female bodybuilder optimistically added, “​​I also really want to inspire more women in the CNMI to get into this male dominated sport. It’s intimidating for sure but it’s just as addicting.”

“Saipan is my home [and] always will be [and] I look forward to representing my islands in the Pacific Games next year with my team.”

In the teen fitness pageant category, Gabrial Johnson won first place and Julony Indalecio won second place, while Amy Alano won first place in the short fitness pageant category as the lone entry respectively.

Dee Clayton, president of the Dee Clayton Classic, thanked the following sponsors for the event which include Megabyte of Saipan, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Marianas Visitors Authority, Gold’s Gym, Latte Built Gym, Saipan World Resort, Rozelle Printing, Top Notch, Power 99, Glushko’s Academy of Performing Arts, Foremost, Island Touch by Philip, and Coca-Cola Beverage Micronesia.