Articles The Wennerstrom Report Juliana Malacarne is the Anatomic Bomb – Wins Physique Olympia!
With little
question, this year's second edition of the Olympia Women's Physique Showdown had been drawing major pre-contest anticipation since last year's inaugural event that saw Dana Linn Bailey flex her way to the first-ever title. In just three years this pro division has generated huge interest, and on a weekend when the enormous Olympia Festival was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mr. Olympia and the female bodybuilders were competing in the 35th annual Ms. Olympia, this rookie event was holding its own in attracting attention.
The growth of the women's Physique Olympia was also illustrated by the entries in this event. Last year 16 contestants took part. This year a field of 23 women swelled the stage with the best the division has to offer currently. The Showdown also offered up an encore opportunity for Dana Linn Bailey to defend her crown, and bring a long overdue comparison with Brazil's popular Juliana Malacarne which failed to materialize last year. The e
vent featured 11 returnees from last year, all of who possessed the intentions of moving up in their respective placings from 2013. That, of course, left an additional dozen newcomers who also looked to make a strong first impression. The stage was set.
Dana Linn Bailey vs. Juliana Christina Malacarne
There was really no getting around it. Dana Linn Bailey and Juliana Malacarne standing side-by-side in stark comparison was the moment for which everyone had been waiting. It would be worth the price of admission… a genuine competitive race for a coveted title.
The first call-out brought the duo together from the start of the preliminaries and it lasted until a final call-out with just the two standing alone. In every way it was a classic matchup. The defending champion pitted against Juliana Malacarne, a winner of four previous pro Physique division events. Both had their own unique level of stage presence and attention-getting persona, yet each offered very different physiques to be compared.
Bailey at 5’4” and in the 130-pound range, with Malacarne at 5’3”, 119 lbs. provided judges with much to study in terms of strengths and weaknesses.
For Malacarne it was a long journey from 2005 when she had won the IFBB World Amateur Bodyfitness Championship overall title. The years she spent in the Figure division after turning pro tested her resilience and perseverance beyond the tolerance of the average competitor. Then again, Juliana Malacarne is not your average athlete. For the years from 2006 and before 2012 when the Physique division was offered at the pro level, she endured endless contest finishes that only twice broke into the top 10. Many times she was outside the top 15. At the 2006 Sacramento Pro Figure show she tied for 20th. A lesser competitor would have drifted away from the competitive stage. Not Malacarne. She was simply a victim of being deemed too muscular for the Figure division. So, in every way, the Physique division was her saving grace. She was a natural for competitive criteria that fit her look to a tee.
Out of the gate, she won the New York Pro Championship in 2012, and in that field was Dana Linn Bailey going virtually unnoticed in a tie for 16th. With the addition of the Olympia as a Physique division event in 2013 Malacarne again won the New York Pro as well as the Europa Super Show in Dallas qualifying her for a coveted Olympia invite. This year Malacarne won the New York Pro for a third time and made the Olympia her singular goal.
Unlike Mala
carne, Bailey passed on competing this year after posting her Physique Olympia victory in 2013. But like Malacarne she had also made this year's Olympia her priority and the meeting of the duo would make for great theatre.
Dana Linn Bailey's progression through her competitive efforts as an amateur and eventually to the pro ranks was markedly different than Malacarne's. From Reading, Pennsylvania, Bailey first competed in 2006 as a bodybuilder. As a 4-year letterman on the West Chester University soccer team she was an exceptional athlete, so the Physique division would be a natural for her physicality. But not before she competed in the Figure division – even winning the 2010 NPC Tracy Greenwood Classic overall Figure title.
After a 12th place finish at the NPC Team Universe in 2010, it became an easy decision to enter the newly developed Physique division to be inaugurated in 2011 at the NPC Junior USA. Bailey won the event's overall title and she was squarely on the map as one of the new division's star competitors. Early in 2012 Bailey was again front and center when the first Pro Physique division event (the Desert Muscle Classic) was held in Phoenix. She placed fourth. After a forgettable 16th place finish at the New York Pro in 2012, Bailey set about to make notable changes in her overall approach to the new division and in 2013 she chose the Tampa Pro to make her seasonal debut scoring a solid second place finish behind Valerie Gangi. A week later
she flew to Dallas and won the Europa Supershow to qualify for the Olympia. The rest is history. She would become the first winner of the Physique Olympia.
So, the battle was on in Las Vegas and the twosome did not disappoint. Bailey was in sharp condition with highly detailed muscle – especially in her back double biceps poses. She was at her very best. Malacarne, in less detailed condition relied on her flawless symmetry and balance to go with pleasing muscle shapes in every bodypart. Both were solid favorites with the crowd and made the final decision a difficult one for the judges. Two great competitors but with vastly different body types. A final decision gave Juliana Malacarne the victory by a three-point margin.
There were now two Physique Olympia champions in two years as the division continues to move through its growing pains. For Malacarne it was an exhilarating moment of which she had only dreamed. And Bailey was gracious in defeat as last year's winner. For their efforts, Malacarne accepted a check for $15,000 as Bailey received the runner-up prize money of $7,000. No doubt the two will meet again – and sooner rather than later. The two will continue to make for an entertaining battle of bodies in the Women's Pro Physique division.
Third-pl
acer Tycie Coppett is another of those who filtered into the Physique division from the Figure ranks, but not before giving bodybuilding a try in 2001 with a second place finish at the NPC Coastal USA. After a spell in Figure, Coppett won her Physique class at the 2011 NPC Nationals to earn pro status. During her ascent to the upper echelon of the Physique division her contest finishes were erratic mixing a pair of 9th place finishes with a victory at the Greater Gulf States in 2013, and runner-up finishes at the Houston Pro in 2012 and 2013 Optimum Classic before her jettison to the runner-up spot behind Dana Linn Bailey at the inaugural Physique Olympia.
This year Coppett had added approximately eight pounds to her 2013 chassis, and the added muscle gave her a more rounded and balanced appearance on her 5’9” frame. Her weight at contest time was 160 lbs. Coppett stands as the poster girl for women entering the Physique division who may fear that what might be construed as excessive height or weight will be a deterrent in successful future placings. Coppett's earnings for third came to $3,000.
Another heavy hitter in this top five was fourth-placed Karina Nascimento. Earning her place in the Physique division's still developing history, she won the first-ever Pro Physique contest (the Desert Muscle Classic) held in 2012, and since then has added victories at the 2012 Valenti Gold Cup and 2013 Optimum Classic to go with several top five finishes over the past three years
As one of the few former bodybuilders who have successfully transitioned into the Physique division, Nascimento also utilizes a magnetic and exotic stage presence to accentuate her notable physical attributes. She remains as one of the sport's most entertaining personalities. Her fourth-place finish is an improvement over her 8
th place spot at last year's Olympia where she tied on points with eventual 7th placer Juliana Malacarne. From her efforts Nascimento accepted a check for $1,500.
If there was a 'Jill of all trades' in this year's top five, it was Sabrina Taylor. She has been one of those rare individuals who has seen action in every women's division dating back to 1997 and her amateur days as a bodybuilder. As time passed she moved into Figure and Fitness. The 2004 competitive season saw her win the overall Fitness title at the NPC Emerald Cup before winning the short class at the NPC USA. Turning pro in 2005 as a Fitness competitor, she moved into Figure events by 2009. When the 2012 season offered the new Pro Physique division she jumped at the chance and in it she has experienced the most fulfilling competitive efforts of her distinguished career.
One of the most successful competitors in the Physique division, Taylor has won four events including a pair of wins at the Titan Grand Prix, and single victories at the Emerald Cup Pro and LA Grand Prix. Her top-five finish at this year's Olympia puts an exclamation mark on her considerable qualities. Taylor rocketed up the placing ladder after finishing 13th at last year's inaugur
al Physique Olympia ranking her as one of the most improved contestants at this year's event.
Just outside the top five was Olympia veteran Mindi O'Brien looking as vibrant as ever in securing the 6th place spot – falling short of Sabrina Taylor by a single point. With a long career in the Fitness division and Canada's first winner of a pro fitness event back in 2004, ten years later she is still at her best and competing in her ninth Olympia as a card-carrying member of the Physique division. In finishing 6th she was another of the biggest improvers having placed 15th in last year's Physique Olympia.
Outside the Top Six
7- LaDrissa Bonivel, USA 33
8- Jillian Reville, USA 40
9- Jennifer Robinson, USA 50
10- Frances Mendez, USA 52
11- Karin Hobbs, USA 53
12- Jacklyn Sutton Abrams, USA 54
13- Patricia Mello, Brazil 64
14- Heather Grace, USA 73
15- Tamee Marie, USA 75
16- Rachel Baker, USA 80
16- Roxie Beckles, USA 80
16- Olga Belyakova, Russia 80
16- Nathalie Falk, Germany 80
16- Samantha Hill, USA 80
16- Sandra Lombardo, USA 80
16- Leila Thompson, USA 80
16- Toni West, USA 80
Rambling Notes: In any contest of this level there are the inevitable stumbles along with those who rise to the occasion. This year there were dramatic examples of both. Last year's 5th-placer Patricia Mello dropped to 13th, while 4th-place finisher Toni West plummeted to the dreaded tie for 16th.
On the upside, Juliana Malacarne rose from placing 7th last year to winning the Olympia crown this year. Significant improvement was scored by Mindi O'Brien and Sabrina Taylor. O'Brien erased the memory of a 15th-place finish last year to grab the 6th-place spot here. And Sabrina Taylor jumped from the 13th-place position last year to 5th – an important achievement that included prize money and an automatic qualification to next year's. Physique Olympia.
Muscular Development honcho Peter McGough had the following to say about the vision of Juliana Malacarne... “Fabulous look and presentation. For me she personifies what this division should be about. A sexy woman packing a lot of quality muscle.”
Heard in the audience during the introduction of the Bikini contestants, "This is a plastic surgeon's wet dream!"
If it's any solace to Dana Linn Bailey in missing out on defending her Physique Olympia title this year, consider this: Sonia Gonzales won the first Bikini Olympia in 2010 and she was unsuccessful in defending her title the following year. Mia Finnegan won the first Fitness Olympia in 1995 and was unsuccessful in defending her title the following year. And Rachel McLish won the first Ms. Olympia in 1980 and was unsuccessful in defending her title the following year. It happens to the best of them.
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