Las Vegas, Nevada, September 28th: The Ms. Olympia. Whether looking at its past history and tradition, or the continuing mystique it carries with it to the current day, the contest is still magic in the world of women's bodybuilding. Virtually every year has brought a remembrance that adds to the storied heritage of the event. Legendary personalities have grown from this contest over the past three decades, and with each passing year new light is shed on those who are fortunate enough to make it to the Olympia stage. This year's edition – the 33rd since the inaugural event in 1980 – brought with it the most varied group of competitors possible in a field of just 13 entrants.
With virtually half of the contestants coming from Slovenia, Venezuela, Canada, Denmark, Brazil and Romania to go with seven Americans, the Olympia is becoming more and more of an international event – as well it should. But within this contingent ultra-veterans Iris Kyle and Yaxeni Oriquen-Gracia led the way with a combined 29 previous entries in the Ms. O – 15 for Oriquen-Garcia and 14 for Kyle. No one else was even close. No matter, the field overall had a fresh look that carried a comforting feel for the future of the event. Indeed, four of this year's group were making their Olympia debut. The Ms. Olympia, after all, is special. And the athletes who compete in this event should also be special. At this year's event, there were no weak links, and not one of the 13 was markedly off a high level of condition. They all looked like they belonged on the Olympia stage. That is a fact that hasn't always been true in the past. Clearly each of these women had taken their contest prep seriously and at a level that was appropriate to the prestige of the contest.
To give some idea of just how prestigious the Ms. Olympia is with regard to women's bodybuilding, the event now has been staged 33 times since 1980, and over that time only 226 different contestants have been on stage at least once over those years. That's a very elite group considering the thousands internationally and here at home who have aspired to reach this most cherished event.
And speaking of elite.............
WINNING KYLE STYLE
It can be said with little argument that we have become very familiar with the face and physique of Iris Kyle. Since she won the 1998 NPC USA that propelled her into the pro ranks, her name has been inked in on the entry lists of 14 Ms. Olympias, not to mention 11 Ms. Internationals. But it has been her penchant for winning that has launched her into another stratosphere. Her six previous victories at the Ms. International is impressive enough, but it has been her dominance at the Ms. Olympia that out-strips anything else she has accomplished. Beginning in 1999 Kyle has not missed a Ms. Olympia – a span of 14 years. But fans of the sport have watched as Kyle has forged ever closer to the magic number – 8 - signifying the number of Ms. O titles Lenda Murray amassed in her remarkable career. Coming into this year's Ms. O, Kyle had won seven overall Olympia titles, and at the forefront of her mind the pointed goal was to win. An understatement, yes. But as any previous Ms. Olympia will gladly admit, they have never taken anything for granted – least of all Iris Kyle. In fact, if Kyle was of a suspicious nature, her competitor's number – 13 – may have given her rise to worry. Or not. This year's Ms. O would naturally carry a higher level of stress as the most meaningful to date for Kyle. She was, after all, looking at the strong possibility of tying Lenda Murray's once thought to be unapproachable record of eight Ms. Olympia victories. But approach it she did. And in fine style. The final point total showed she won this contest by a comfortable margin. Was she at her best-ever conditioning level? Not quite – but close enough. Kyle took this year's win against a very fine field led by a determined Debi Laszewski who was at her very best ever.
With Kyle getting the victory that lofted her to Lenda's Murray's record of eight wins (not to mention a pair of fellows named Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman who also won eight Olympia titles), Kyle's place within the sport is firmly cemented. An achievement that could be easily overlooked in Kyle's journey to her eighth Ms. O win is the fact that she also broke a record at the Ms. Olympia for most consecutive wins. Her 2012 victory gave her a seventh successive victory, surpassing the six in a row that both Cory Everson and Lenda Murray had achieved during their careers. Kyle has won every Olympia since 2006. So it becomes even easier to see what level of rarefied air Kyle is breathing these days. More remarkably, there is little question she still has gas left in the tank, even though there is new blood on the horizon to put further pressure on her a year from now. At that point she will be staring at the very real eventuality of a ninth Olympia crown – an achievement that has never been reach at the Olympia. Period. We'll know in just 364 more days.
With the women's total prize money of $60,000 remaining the same as in 2011, Kyle pocketed $28,000 as the winner.
Eight points off Iris Kyle's winning pace was Floridian Debi Laszewski. An intense competitor ever since her earliest days as an amateur, Laszewski really took off after turning pro at the NPC Nationals as a light-heavyweight in 2006. Most felt she should have been at the pro level long before that. In any case she has made it a point to be a model of consistency over the past six years as a pro. Having competed in five Ms. Internationals with a pair of runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2012, she has also been solidly in the mix at the Ms. Olympia with third-place finishes in 2009 and 2010, a fourth in 2011 and a runner-up finish this year in a best-ever level of conditioning that complemented her impressive muscle density. With the strong reputation of 2005 Ms. Olympia winner and fan favorite Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia casting a shadow on Laszewski's aspirations, she had to be feeling exhilarated when the final call-out of prejudging brought her out with Iris Kyle as a twosome and excluding Oriquen-Garcia from the comparison.
If there is a primary element that is largely intangible when it comes to Laszewski's stage presence, it is her ability to blend her intense competitiveness with a equally strong level of 'womanliness'. That womanliness carries a unique blend of sensuality and sexuality – and there is a difference between the two. In any case it is all the above in tandem along with her years of developing a grand level of muscle cultivation that has put her at the winner's doorstep of events like the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia.
The judges scoring had her comfortably ahead of Oriquen-Garcia by 20 points and for that she earned herself a cool $14,000 - her best finish at the Ms. Olympia – and to go without saying, the most significant finish in her career as a bodybuilder.
Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia landed third this year, and it is a finish she is all too familiar with. In a career at the Ms. Olympia where she has competed a record 15 times, this was the sixth time she had finished third (2001, '03, '04, '07, '08 and '12). Most competitors making it to the Olympia stage would be blissfully happy to place this high even once, but it was clear, even by those who aren't particularly observant, that she was visibly unsettled with her placing. Pissed, might be a better word. Dave Palumbo in his assessments on RXMuscle mentioned that he felt, “she was horrendously dissed” by the judges for leaving her out of the final callout of prejudging with Kyle and Laszewski. But with a look at the final point totals, there was a method to the judge's madness – she just wasn't close to Laszewski and Kyle on points in the final analysis. Judges simply didn't see the need to call her out. The 20-point differential bore that out. The reasons as to why there was such a wide differential may vary, but it was largely thought that in her effort to take the stage in a highly detailed level of muscularity, she had lost size in her legs and took on a flat appearance, all of which altered her normally well-balanced overall physique. The discussion of her placement compared to Laszewski also becomes a matter of personal preference for fans of both as the two have dramatically different structures and muscle shapes – not to mention the notable height differential between them.
All that aside, Oriquen-Garcia is always a spectacular addition to the Ms.O lineup. Entering her 18th year as a pro, this was her 15th Ms. Olympia and her 49th pro contest dating back to 1994. She spent nine years toiling in placements outside the winner's circle before she won her first pro contest in 2002 – the Ms. International (a contest that she has since won outright four times). And there's that Olympia title she captured in 2005......a title many famous male and female competitors have never won. Whatever the placement, Yaxeni Oriquen is still very special. Her prize winnings totaled $8,000.
Places 3- 4-5.......A STORY WITHIN THE STORY
Final scoresheets often speak loudly, but none more loudly than this year's Ms. Olympia scoresheet where places three through five were concerned. There are cold hard facts where numbers are concerned. Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia finished third with 39 points. Right on her tail was Romanian Alina Popa at 40 points, followed by last year's third-placer Slovenian Brigita Brezovac with 41. That is the closest final scores among top five finishers at the Ms. O in recent memory. There was a reason this trio was crunched so closely together in the final tallies. Each showed outstanding physical qualities, and all got the most out of showing those qualities throughout the prejudging and evening final. Each however, had their own unique set of muscular highlights and each was structurally different which made separating them a real judging dilemma. And from a fan standpoint all three had their own strong followings, and among those followers many in each camp felt their favorite was good enough to unseat Iris Kyle. But alas, fans don't sit at the judging table.
For Alina Popa, she took one step closer to a goal of winning this event. Since turning pro in 2010 after winning the IFBB World Amateur Championships overall title, her finishes have shown her potential is for real. Last year she placed third at the Ms. International and in her Ms. Olympia debut she claimed the fifth spot. She continued her solid placings earlier this year with another third-place finish at the Ms. International. For further evidence as to her contest-to-contest potential, Popa 's third-place finish at the Ms.International came at the hands of Kyle and Oriquen-Garcia with Debi Laszewski just two points behind Popa in fourth. In a pre-contest interview Popa revealed that she had added an additional five pounds to her 5-6 frame for this contest. Weighing 165 pounds at the Ms. International the added poundage may have taken a away some of the sharper muscular detail she showed earlier in the year, but it certainly did nothing to diminish her superior structural qualities and pleasing lines. Her fourth-place finish at this event keeps her in sharp focus with the coming of 2013, and her idyllic overall structure and well-shaped muscle groups - on a 5-6 frame that appears majestic in a lineup - will serve to keep her in any first callout at future events. Plus, at a relatively young 34 years of age, her placings in the coming years would seem limitless. The financial reward for her fourth-place finish was $5,000.
The fifth-place finish went to the striking Brigita Brezovac. From Maribor, Slovenia, Brezovac had spent several years competing in various organizations while her country struggled
with world politics, and through it all she managed a strong level of success. But in 2009 after winning a silver medal at the IFBB World Amateur Championships, she was granted pro status and realized she was one step closer to achieving what had been a distant dream of competing in the Ms. Olympia. Wasting little time, Brezovac made her pro debut in July of 2010. The event and her subsequent placing was significant. She won the PBW Tampa Pro Championships. Very few competitors enter the pro ranks and grab a victory out of the gate. But Brezovac wasn't finished. A week later she entered the Battle of Champions event in Hartford and won again. Winning her first two pro events put her in a league with the likes of Cory Everson and Lenda Murray as those who had accomplished that feat. She quickly established herself as a competent pro and finished the year with a 10th-place showing in her first visit to the Ms. Olympia. In 2011 her successes continued as she won her third pro event taking the Toronto Super Show, followed by a third-place finish at the Tampa Pro. But she really upped the ante on her value as a top pro by capturing third at the Ms. Olympia. Here, and even with her usual outstanding level of sterlingconditioning she slipped two placings....a reality that had more to do with the varieties of structures among the top five. In this instance there really is no need to panic on her part as the drop was only by a scant two points. With the coming of 2013 Brigita Brezovac – at a sturdily constructed 5-4 and weighing near the 150 mark - will continue to be a force in the top five as she will undoubtedly improve with specificity training to bring up bodyparts that will strengthen her overall structural look. Her prize winnings came to $3,000.
As a side note, and one of sheer coincidence, last year's first callout at the Ms. O prejudging included Iris Kyle, Debi Laszewski, Yaxeni-Oriquen-Garcia, Alina Popa and Brigita Brezovac......the exact same quintet who occupied the top five placings at this year's event, only in a slightly different order. There is an old saying that, “The more things change, the more they stay the same”. Indeed ,that was the case here.
The sixth-place position went to Sheila Bleck. No stranger to that placing, Bleck claimed the same spot last year. As a continuing testament to the high quality of the entire field, Bleck presented her best-ever level of conditioning. Showing an extraordinary level of quality in her deeply separated quads and diamond-shaped calves along with her usual prowess as a consummate poser, she still looks like a potential top five finisher at a Ms. International or Ms. Olympia in the near future. Competing in her third Ms.O this year with a fourth-place finish in 2010, and her sixth-place finish last year, all points to the fact that she should be a permanent fixture at this contest on an annual basis. In a competitive career dating back to her earliest amateur days in 1993, Bleck still looks daisy fresh and at a well-balanced 5-7, 160 pounds, her future looks sound. Given the reality that she will only get better, and the passion she has shown in her posing performances, she represents a welcome addition to a contest of the highest level. As the final prize money winner in this class, she once again accepted a check for $2,000.
For finishers at this event who land outside the top six, the range of emotions can vary from being severely disappointed to just being happy they qualified. But any way you shake it, those not placing in the top six this year were still of the highest caliber.
Monique Jones – who fans and friends love to call MoJo – checked in at seventh. A stunning presence at 5-9, 170 pounds, her structural blessings are breathtaking. Within the pro ranks, many competitors quietly respect her impressive physique and more than one has looked over her shoulder to see if she is catching up. The reality is, she is catching up, slowly but surely. In her first entry at the Ms. Olympia when she debuted last year – she finished ninth. Now she's on the doorstep of the top six. As Dave Palumbo assessed in his RXMuscle remarks on Jones he offered, “Craziest structure....most tools of any competitor......fantastic arms.....huge capped delts.....genetically blessed.” The last words of that assessment can be considered a understatement of the grandest proportions. Some elements in a physique simply can't be produced in a gym. Assuming she 'stays at it', her best contest successes are ahead of her. 
If there was one competitor at this event who drew a lion's share of attention from fans and purists of women's bodybuilding, it was eighth-place finisher Anne Luise Freitas of Brazil. As the highest finisher of those contestants who were making their Ms. O debuts, Freitas was a real crowd pleaser. Standing a shade less than 5-4 and weighing less than 140 pounds, this Brazilian bombshell (aren't they all?) was the smallest contestant in this field, but more than made up for it with a tightly-packed physique that featured highly visible muscle at every turn. With female fans even commenting on her amazing glutial development, and Freitas' leg poses that brought a loud crowd response to her cross-striated quads, it's likely she will be one of the best remembered eighth-place finishers for years to come. As Dave Palumbo offered in his RXMuscle assessment, “Insanely conditioned......her legs are nuts......great back double bi.......insanely striated glutes.” If there could be any reasoning for her finish, it would have to be related to her overall structure and the dramatic difference it showed compared to the rest of the competitors. At the risk of being understated, this new Brazilian pro star who qualified for the Olympia with a convincing win in her pro debut at the Battle of Champions in June, added much 'color' to this field of competitors. To further illustrate her presence, Monique Jones' final score was 71 points. Frietas finished with 72 ! It's a pity that she will need to re-qualify for the Ms. O in 2013. The same would also hold true for Jones.
In the 9th and 10th -place spots a pair of top Americans were entering their first Ms. Olympia, and it could easily be assumed that both were pleased with their finishes in the top ten. Ninth-placer Michelle Cummings is a real newbie considering her abbreviated contest resume which only dates back to 2010. From Rotterdam, New York, and as a former gymnast who used a back flip in her posing routine, Cummings reached the pro ranks by winning the heavyweight and overall NPC Nationals in 2011. On the heels of that major success, she jumped right into the pro ranks and qualified for the Olympia with a runner-up finish at the Battle of Champions, followed by a third-place effort at the Wings of Strength pro show in Chicago. She's just getting started.
Sarah Hayes is also a rookie in the pro picture having earned her pro status with a heavyweight and overall win at the 2010 NPC USA. Her contest history – beginning in 2009 - is
also short by comparison to many who take years to qualify for the pro ranks. Hayes' intro to the pro ranks was notably different than Cummings. In fact, it was dismal. After making her pro debut at the Ms. International with a 13th-place welcome to the pro ranks, she added another unlucky 13th-place finish at the Battle of Champions. Undeterred, Hayes put the pedal to the metal in her training following those forgettable experiences - added notably more muscle - and attacked the 2012 season with much more of a pro look. It worked. Beginning with a return to the Battle of Champions, she finished fifth – a nice start to the season. Then, in Tampa at the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships she topped the field to not only win the contest, but qualify for the Ms. O. So her top ten finish here is a start where she can rest assured that the judging panel saw her and thought enough of her qualities to reward her with a finish most any Ms. Olympia first-timer would be delighted with.
Kim Buck might say of her 11th-place finish.....”What are the chances?” Why? Well, Buck has been a pro since 2007 after winning the overall title at the NPC Masters Nationals, but it was only last year that she finally struck gold by winning the Battle of Champions and qualifying for the Ms.O. There she finished 11th. Her 2012 competitive year has also been solid with a fifth-place finish at the Ms. International followed by a runner-up finish at the Toronto Super Show. But here, she once again landed 11th. For Buck, her finishes at the Ms. O have to do with her height and the muscle weight needed to fill out her 5-8 frame. With long limbs and an athletically structured physique, she will need to add more weight with the same outstanding level of conditioning she has always achieved. On the other hand, it's difficult to fault a competitor who has shown the capability to qualify for a contest that is very difficult to reach. Eleventh is just one place from the top ten. Few pros who have missed qualifying for the Ms. O would turn their nose up at that accomplishment.
The 12th place spot went to Denmark's Helle Nielsen. A veteran competitor with a history of top notch contest preparations that have helped propel her career, Nielsen missed the mark at this event – an uncharacteristic happenstance when considering she had finished fifth at the 2003 Ms. Olympia, was an overall winner at the Jan Tana Classic the same year, and made a resounding comeback in 2011 by winning the FIBO Power Pro Championships in Germany. After finishing 14th at the 2011 Ms. Olympia, she bounced back again this year earning qualification - on points - by finishing second at the Wings of Strength contest in Chicago. Hopefully, Nielsen will return in 2013 in an effort to once again return to the Ms. O by bringing a higher level of muscular detail to one of the offered pro qualifiers.
If Canadian Lisa Giesbrecht appeared less muscular in this robust field of competitors, the explanation was a simple one. Giesbrecht earned her pro status by winning the overall Masters title at the Canadian National Bodybuilding Championships last year. But when she decided to make her pro debut this year, it was at the California Governors Cup in Sacramento – as a Physique competitor. She placed ninth, a decision that came with the reality that she was too muscular for the newly-formed division. That was in late March. Nine weeks later on June 1st she entered the bodybuilding division of the Toronto Super Show and won the event qualifying for the Ms. O. With only another 15 weeks to further prepare, Giesbrecht who stands at a statuesque 5-8, prepped at warp speed in an effort to make her best effort in less than ideal circumstances. Sporting a very athletic looking overall physique, Giesbrecht was visually appealing, but simply didn't have enough muscle to hang with the assembled group at this contest. That said, she gave it her best effort, and as her structure fills out, a last place finish at any contest should be a thing of the past...as long as she decides against drifting back to the Physique division again!
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