2026 IFBB Mediterranean Championships Highlights

[AlphaLifter]

The 2026 IFBB Mediterranean Championships took place from October 24 to 26 in Santorini, Greece, bringing together bodybuilding and fitness athletes across multiple divisions. The competition featured Men’s Bodybuilding, Men’s Physique, Women’s Bikini, Women’s Wellness, Fitness Challenge, and several additional categories for junior and master athletes.
Morocco’s Hassan Itouni emerged as a standout competitor, winning the Men’s Bodybuilding Over 85 kg division and the Master Men’s Bodybuilding Overall title. Sarun Pariyar of Malta won Men’s Physique Open, while Alae Bouzagbah, also representing Malta, claimed Women’s Bikini Open and Junior Women’s Bikini. Other division winners included Louis Hervouet of France, Ela Deda of Kosovo and Said El Gueryny of Morocco.
The official results highlighted the international character of the championships, with competitors representing countries across the Mediterranean region and beyond.

Hassan Itouni Wins Men’s Bodybuilding Overall​

Hassan Itouni of Morocco delivered one of the most notable performances at the 2026 IFBB Mediterranean Championships, winning both the Men’s Bodybuilding Over 85 kg division and the Master Men’s Bodybuilding Overall category.
In the Over 85 kg division, Itouni finished first with three points. Fellow Moroccan Mustapha Rafiki placed second with six points, while France’s Stephan Canetti secured third with nine points. Youssef Kassi, also from Morocco, finished fourth with 12 points.
Itouni subsequently took first place in the Master Men’s Bodybuilding Overall standings, ahead of Rafiki, who finished second. The result added another distinction to Itouni’s performance across the championships.
The Master Men’s Bodybuilding 40 to 49 Years division was won by Rafiki, who finished ahead of Kassi and France’s Morgan Coullet. In the 50 Years and Over category, Itouni secured first place, with Canetti finishing second.
These results demonstrated Morocco’s strength in the master bodybuilding categories, with athletes from the country occupying several top positions.

Louis Hervouet Wins Men’s Bodybuilding Up to 85 kg​

France’s Louis Hervouet won the Men’s Bodybuilding Up to 85 kg division with three points. Greece’s Georgios Koulopoulos finished second with six points, while Morgan Coullet of France placed third with nine points.
Hervouet’s victory also earned him second place in the Men’s Bodybuilding Overall standings, behind Itouni. The overall results therefore featured athletes from two countries, with Morocco represented by the champion and France by the runner up.
The division provided a separate competitive category for athletes weighing up to 85 kilograms, while the Over 85 kg contest featured heavier competitors. Both categories contributed to the final overall standings reported by the organizers.

Sarun Pariyar Claims Men’s Physique Open​

Sarun Pariyar of Malta won Men’s Physique Open with three points, finishing ahead of Greece’s Xenofon Mouratidis, who placed second with seven points. Luke Brincat, also representing Malta, secured third place with nine points.
Georgios Fydanidis of Greece finished fourth with 10 points, while Egypt’s Abdallah Gamal Mohamed Abdallah placed fifth with 14 points. Anastasios Chatiras of Greece took sixth place, and Theodoros Karapetoudis finished seventh.
Pariyar’s victory gave Malta a first place finish in a division featuring competitors from Malta, Greece and Egypt. Brincat’s third-place result also gave Malta two athletes in the top three.
Karapetoudis had an additional achievement in the Junior Men’s Physique 15 to 23 Years category, where he finished first. Abdallah Gamal Mohamed Abdallah also won the Master Men’s Physique 40 Years and Over division, adding another category victory to the event’s results.

Said El Gueryny Wins Muscular Men’s Physique​

Morocco’s Said El Gueryny won the Muscular Men’s Physique Open division. He was the only competitor listed in the supplied results for this category and received three points.
The category provided a separate opportunity for athletes competing in a more muscular version of the Men’s Physique division. El Gueryny’s victory added to Morocco’s successful showing at the championships, which included multiple first-place finishes in bodybuilding.

Alae Bouzagbah Takes Women’s Bikini Open​

Alae Bouzagbah of Malta won the Women’s Bikini Open with three points. Kosovo’s Erona Bajrami finished second with six points, while France’s Mingyu Wang placed third with eight points. Anastasia Logunova finished fourth with 12 points.
Bouzagbah’s victory also carried significance in the junior category, as she won Junior Women’s Bikini 15 to 23 Years. Her results made her one of the notable competitors at the championships, with first-place finishes in both the open and junior bikini divisions.
Bikini competitions generally assess overall shape, symmetry, conditioning, proportion, and stage presentation. Competitors are expected to demonstrate balanced muscular development while maintaining the aesthetic standards of the category.
The Women’s Bikini Open results reflected the international nature of the event, with athletes representing Malta, Kosovo and France among the leading finishers.

Ela Deda Wins Women’s Wellness Open​

Kosovo’s Ela Deda claimed first place in the Women’s Wellness Open with three points. She was the only athlete listed in the supplied results for this division.
The Wellness category emphasizes lower body development, particularly the glutes and legs, while also evaluating overall proportions, conditioning, and presentation. Its judging standards distinguish it from Bikini and other women’s physique divisions.
Deda’s victory added another international result to the championships, with Kosovo represented among the event’s division winners alongside Malta, Morocco, France and Greece.

Liliya Prokopchuk Wins Women’s Fit Model​

Liliya Prokopchuk of Spain won Women’s Fit Model with six total points. The official results also listed her as the third-place finisher in Fitness Challenge Women Silver Open, where she received three points in the reported standings.
Her performance across two categories made her one of the athletes appearing in multiple divisions at the championships. The Fit Model category focuses on an athletic appearance, balanced proportions, presentation, and overall physique aesthetics.
The supplied results confirm Prokopchuk’s first-place finish in Women’s Fit Model but do not include detailed judging commentary explaining the decision.

Fitness Challenge and Artistic Fitness Highlights​

The championships also featured Fitness Challenge categories and fitness disciplines outside conventional bodybuilding.
In Fitness Challenge Women Silver Open, Greece’s Androniki Iliadou finished first, ahead of Evangelia Tsitsikli in second and Spain’s Liliya Prokopchuk in third.
Greece also claimed the Fitness Challenge Men Silver Open title through Konstantinos Ritzalis. Panteleimon Gkouliakos placed second, while Adil Nufal finished third.
In Junior Women’s Acrobatic Fitness 15 to 23 Years, Yasmin Racioglu finished first. Zalihe Betmezoglu won Women’s Artistic Fitness Open, adding another category title to the championships.
These results illustrated the breadth of the event, which included fitness performance categories alongside bodybuilding and physique competitions.

International Representation at the 2026 IFBB Mediterranean Championships​

The 2026 IFBB Mediterranean Championships featured athletes from several countries, including Greece, Malta, Morocco, France, Kosovo, Spain and Egypt. The supplied results also identified competitors representing other countries in individual divisions.
Morocco had a particularly strong showing in bodybuilding, with Hassan Itouni winning the Over 85 kg and Master Men’s Bodybuilding Overall categories. Mustapha Rafiki also secured victories in the Master Men’s Bodybuilding 40 to 49 Years division and placed second in the overall master standings.
Malta recorded important victories through Sarun Pariyar in Men’s Physique Open and Alae Bouzagbah in Women’s Bikini Open. France’s Louis Hervouet won Men’s Bodybuilding Up to 85 kg, while Kosovo’s Ela Deda claimed Women’s Wellness Open.
Greece also performed well in the fitness categories, with Androniki Iliadou and Konstantinos Ritzalis winning their respective Fitness Challenge Silver Open divisions.
The championships therefore showcased a varied lineup of athletes across age groups, bodyweight categories and fitness disciplines.

 

[kirsty1989]

Seeing these women compete is actually pretty inspiring. I'm currently overweight and just starting to take fitness more seriously, so I'm nowhere near that level, but seeing athletes like Alae Bouzagbah and Ela Deda makes me want to work harder on myself. I'm not even thinking about competing right now, I'd just love to feel stronger, lose some body fat, and become more confident in my own body. For the women here who started out overweight, what helped you stay motivated when progress was really slow?

 

[sarahjanex]

@kirsty1989 girl, on't compare where you're starting to women who've spent years building their physiques. That's just going to make things feel harder than they need to be. I'd focus on small goals first, like getting stronger on a few exercises, being consistent with your meals, and noticing improvements in your stamina. The scale can be frustrating because it doesn't always reflect the progress you're making. Take progress photos every few weeks too. Sometimes you'll notice changes there before the numbers move much. And don't feel like you need to lose all the weight before you can enjoy lifting. Building strength is a pretty good achievement on its own.