Olympia Contest Coverage Sponsored by BODYPRO Gym
One thing that bodybuilding fans find somewhat disappointing is that many of the top competitors focus on earning their Olympia qualifications early in the season, so we don’t get a chance to see their physiques leading up to the big show. The same cannot be said for the IFBB Pro Women’s Bodybuilding Division though. Many of the Women’s Bodybuilding competitors can be found competing at the Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix World Championships which Muscle Insider recently covered thanks to David Aboody.
Ever since the Women’s Bodybuilding category was removed from the Ms. Olympia contest in 2014, the amazing athletes from this division were left without the top stage to compete on. While some competitors did make the transition to Women’s Physique, others had no intention of scaling down their muscularity to fit into the new category. This is where the introduction of the Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix World Championships (which we first reported on in 2015), became the contest that sowcased the best of the best in Women’s Bodybuilding.
With Jake Wood’s acquisition of the Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend in February of 2020, we knew it would be only a matter of time before we would saw the return of Women’s Bodybuilding to the Olympia stage. Jake Wood is well known for being a huge supporter of the women’s bodybuilding and the industry as a whole. This year’s event will be one of the most exciting Olympia’s in years, despite the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has presented.
When it comes to looking to the future, as to which ladies will be taking the top spots when the dust settles, we find it hard to think that anyone other than 10x Ms. Olympia Iris Kyle will be the one to claim the prestigious title once again. Iris Kyle won her first Olympia title in 2001 but was not able to hold onto it for long, only achieving runner-up in 2002 and 2003 to Lenda Murray. She won again in 2004, only to lose it again the following year to Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia. Following this loss, Iris made some serious changes to her physique, making a statement with her first Ms. International win in 2006, which had eluded her until this point. After this point, it was lights out and Iris Kyle would go on to win the Ms. Olympia title from 2006 all the way through 2014. After her win in 2014, she retired from competing, and it was the final year for Women’s Bodybuilding on the Olympia stage. But this year, everything has changed and we will once again see Kyle return to the stage with all expectations to see her walk away with the title.
But if there is to be a new champion crowned at this year’s Ms. Olympia, you would have to say Andrea Shaw of Clinton Township, Michigan, very well could be the one. Fresh off her first Rising Phoenix World Championships win on December 5th, Andrew Shaw now has her sights set on the Olympia. This show had Andrea considered to be the best athlete in the lineup during both the prejudging and finals. Her presentation was outstanding, but will it be enough to edge out the reigning champion? Iris Kyle has been retired from competition for the past 6 years.
Helle Trevino was the favorite coming into the Rising Phoenix World Championships, as she is a two-time champion at the event, having won in 2017 and 2019. Known as “The Beastqueen” Trevino ended up taking home second place but is hoping she will have been able to make enough adjustments to improve her placing at this week’s Olympia.
Monique Jones is a competitor that has always been a serious contender in whatever show she competes in. We still expect to see her finish top 5 at the Ms. Olympia contest, but it seems Trevino was simply better than Jones, and Shaw was at her best. There is always the chance Monique was holding back a little in preparation for the Olympia stage, so we’re curious to see if she has what it takes to move up in the rankings this coming weekend.
Canadian IFBB Pro Nicki Chartrand is coming off a 6th place finish at the Rising Phoenix World Championships, so we are looking forward to seeing what she will bring to the Olympia stage. We should see her finish in the top 10, which will be incredible.
Fellow Canadian Janeen Lankowski finished in 10th place at the same Rising Phoenix World Championships. Janeen was dealing with some serious back troubles on show day, so hopefully she will have these issues resolved by the time she reaches the Olympia stage. We would love to see her also finish in the top 10 this coming weekend.
For more information, visit MrOympia.com as Trifecta presents Joe Weider’s Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend brought to you by Northern Chill and by Wings of Strength the weekend of December 17-20.
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