A Red Deer body-builder who come second in the Mr. Universe competition in the Canary Islands last week vows to continue working out towards his dream.
“I’m going for it next year,” said Rob Friss, owner of the local Iron City gym — only in 2024 he will enter the closer American Mr. Universe competition, to be held in New Jersey.
Travel to the Canary Islands turned out to be a 26-hour exercise in frustration for the 56-year-old. Friss recalled various travel mishaps en route to the competition were that much harder to deal with when he hadn’t had a proper meal in weeks, nor any sleep on the plane across the Atlantic.
The Mr. Universe title ended up going to a Spanish guy, who “was 30 years younger than me,” added Friss.
“As a competitor, you judge your successes and failures according to your wins and losses, so yes, I was disappointed at first.”
But Friss soon became spellbound by the “beautiful paradise” of the Canary Islands, and by the support he received at airports from strangers who admired his physique and wanted their pictures taken with him.
“They inspired me to keep going,” said Friss, who has the U.S. Mr. Universe competition to aim for.
Meanwhile, he also revealed plans to expand his gym and start a children’s charity.