Bonnyman Workout 2023 Open Recap

The Bonnyman Workout 2023 Open, which took place January 18-24, delivered another exciting competition, with last-minute leaderboard jockeying and some very interesting Donor Games firsts.

The Bonnyman Workout is a 1-rep max bench press followed by a 3-rep max deadlift to be completed within a 3-minute time cap. The final score is the composite ranking of the 2 lifts.

Kevin Kilkenny’s third video submission earned him the first-place spot in the men’s donor category, with a bench press max of 285 lbs and a 3-rep max deadlift of 405 lbs. After submitting four workout videos, Jason Elmore edged into second place with a 252-lb bench press and the highest 3-rep max deadlift at 485 lbs, an effort that pushed Justin King into fourth place. Kyle Bergeron rounded out the top three with a 265-lb bench press and a 3-rep max deadlift of 405 lbs, beating his prior deadlift by an amazing 106 lbs. (Perhaps the first pull was a decoy.)

A special shout out to Jay Irwin, who didn’t let the limited weight setup of a hotel gym in Japan stop him from competing. Taking a break from skiing, and still wearing his ski boots and bib, he improvised by adding kettle bells to the bar for his deadlift and converting from kilograms, turning in a seventh-place finish in the men’s donor category. 

In the women’s donor category, Donor Games veteran Mimi Mahon locked up first place, besting the rest of the field in both the bench press (165 lbs) and the 3-rep deadlift (350 lbs). Darlene Magsino turned in a last-minute competition video that vaulted her into second place with a bench press of 142 lbs and a deadlift of 335 lbs, and Roni Hays took the third-place spot with a bench press of 135 lbs and a deadlift of 283. If you feel like you’ve heard these three names before, you’re not wrong. Mimi, Darlene and Roni have been among the top five women’s donor finishers in eight previous Donor Games competitions, including taking the top three spots in four of those events.

Donor Games newcomer Wilson Du took first place in the transplant recipient men’s division with an amazing performance including a bench press max of 205 lbs and a dead lift of 305 lbs, and Nicki Mahon won the transplant recipient women’s division with a bench of 55 lbs and a deadlift of 142 lbs.

In the general men’s category, frequent Donor Games winner Shaphen Robinson dominated in both workout components, benching 415 lbs and pulling 585 lbs on the deadlift using perfect form. Ali Mahon-Pabon won the women’s general category with a 190-lb bench press and a deadlift of 360 lbs. 

In a Donor Games first, we had two sets of family members competing in the event: the Sullenbergers and the Mahons. Jon Sullenberger, who donated a kidney to his wife, took fifth place in the donor men’s category, while his wife Donna took second place in the women’s transplant recipient category and twins Kiana and Shanell tied for fifth in the general women category. Mimi Mahon, mom Nicki Mahon and sister Ali Mahon-Pabon made winning a family affair, taking first place in each of their categories.

Final Leaderboard

To view all submitted workouts for the Bonnyman Workout 2023 Open, please visit our YouTube channel.

DQ: Submission was disqualified by the judges due to form issue.

DNQ: Athlete did not complete the workout or otherwise meet the requirements to qualify for ranking within the category.

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