The Olympia weekend is, once again, upon us and it seems as though all the talk has been centered on whether or not Phil Heath will repeat as Mr Olympia. However, we cannot forget that the majority of competitors this year will be coming from the four women’s divisions-- Bodybuiding, Figure, Fitness, and Bikini. And just like in the Mens Open and 212 Class, there are fierce battles to be fought in all four of these very competitive women’s classes. In the following paragraphs I break down each division and preview the various favorites.
FITNESS:
6x Ms Fitness Olympia Adela Garcia will be going for an unprecedented 7th win this year. Despite being one of the oldest competitors in the lineup, she still seems to be the dominant figure that the judges favor in both the physique (25% of score) and fitness (75% of score) rounds. The question on everyone’s mind, however, is obvious. In this lineup, can Adela be unseated by anyone if she brings her A-game? I say the answer to that question is a resounding YES! I’ve said it before and I’ll reiterate it here; Russia’s Oksana Grishina is the heir apparent to the fitness throne. Her routine is second-to-none and I believe her physique has improved enough to lay claim to being among the best in this tough lineup. With the physique round carrying a weight of 75% of the total score, I can’t even fathom how Grishina’s predictably mind-boggling, emotionally-charged, performance wouldn’t easily garner her all 1st place votes and guarantee victory.
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However, Adela Garcia is a tried and true professional and her command of the stage just oozes from her soul. Will 2012 be the year of change in the IFBB Fitness Division? Will Canada’s Myriam Capes, with her incredibly high-flying routine, move up even higher in the placings? Can Tanji Johnson finally nail her conditioning and match her physique to the one-of-a-kind creative routines she portrays onstage? The battle of flips and tumbles and unique dance and gymnastics moves is what makes the Fitness division one of the most entertaining parts of the entire Olympia program and I’m convinced this year will be no different.
FIGURE:
The IFBB Figure Division has showcased a battle royale for the throne of “best body” for several years running now. The players? Reigning 2x Ms Figure Olympia Nicole Wilkins and Erin Stern! These two incredible physiques have traded Olympia victories back and forth. Wilkins regained the crown last year from Stern and carried that victory into the 2012 Ms International where she narrowly, although controversially, won that title. Wilkins strengths lie in here near-perfect structure and flawless raw, natural, beauty. While watching her move onstage, you secretly want to see her win. She’s truly that great to look at! Stern, on the other hand, has the look and conditioning of an Olympic track athlete. Ironically, she was a high jump champion who’s competed at an elite level for many years prior to moving into Figure competitions. Conditioning and physique purists would argue that Stern should be the ideal Figure competitor and thus rule the division. Will the judges feel similarly come Friday evening?
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And if this rivalry weren’t enough for the division, another up-and-coming beauty has been rearing her competitive fires as of late. Candice Keene who’s been racking up the IFBB victories for over two years now has perfected her physique and conditioning to the point of being a serious threat to the Figure throne. Many press and observers felt that she should have placed as high as 1st (no worse than 2nd) at the 2012 Figure International; despite settling for 3rd; once again behind Wilkins and Keene. Going into this year’s Olympia, Keene must be considered the wild-card favorite brandishing a physique worthy of Wilkins, conditioning rivaling Stern, and a dreamy face that’ll break the heart of any guy watching her “do her thing” onstage.
BIKINI:
What started out as a side-show-like diversion has developed into one of the most competitive divisions in all of the IFBB. No longer is a bikini just a two-piece bathing suit, the IFBB Bikini Class demands the respect of any legitimate physique division. In fact, the bodies and personalities have fleshed themselves out to the point of tremendous competitiveness. Reigning Ms Bikini Olympia Nicole Nagrani, who just recently turned 21, will have her work cut out for her this time around. Brandishing one of the tiniest waists in the entire sport and a tremendously entertaining personality onstage, Nagrani represents the beautiful girl next-door that everyone loves to see win. At last year’s Olympia, she displaced the first and reigning Ms Bikini Olympia Sonia Gonzalez who was noticeably off her game. She did, however, have trouble with Brazilian beauty Nathalia Melo (2nd) who many thought was the clear definition of bikini—mature sex appeal, curvaceous body, and one of the best butts on the planet. The judges went with Nagrani’s shape and innocence on that day but at this year’s Ms Bikini International, Nagrani was relegated to 4th place while Sonia Gonzalez, albeit controversially, snagged the title and the position of “favorite” going into this year’s Olympia.
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If this tri-rivalry weren’t enough, throw the exotic police officer from Florida, India Paulino, into the mix. Paulino has racked up innumerable IFBB victories over the last year and a half and many are predicting that she could be the dark horse favorite going into the O. Brandishing the sex appeal of Melo, the cute bubbly personality of Nagrani, and the momentum of Gonzalez, the girl who’s named after the country she’ll competing in the following weekend at the IFBB Sheru Classic has got to be considered very dangerous in this flock of hotties.
Not to be counted out is Muscle Girls Inc radio co-host Dianna Dahlgren whose stunning looks and super sexy physique landed her in 3rd place at last year’s Olympia. If the judges are going for sheer beauty with drop-dead sex appeal, Diana’s the ticket!
WOMENS BODYBUILDING:
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he talk never ceases with regard to the future of the IFBB Womens Bodybuilding division; however, despite all the negativity and debate, it’s still here and brandishing one of the most competitive lineups of all time. 7x Ms Olympia Iris Kyle skipped this year’s Ms International so that she may concentrate on winning her 8th Ms Olympia title; an honor that would tie the record of the great Lenda Murray. Kyle has been very silent as of late which usually means “bad news” for the competition. If Kyle brings the insane level of conditioning that we’ve seen her capable of in the past—striated glutes, tiny waist, and ridiculous proportion—the only thing to judge will be 2nd through last! Kyle’s size and proportion are so dominant that the only way for her to lose would be for her to beat herself. Like 8x Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman, Kyle is so much better than everyone else that it’ll be very hard for her to be displaced from the winner’s circle.
The best chance to beat Kyle lies with 2012 IFBB Ms International Champion (and former Ms Olympia) Yaxeni Oriquen who, according to IFBB Womens Historian Steve Wennerstrom, will be competing in her 15th Ms Olympia (an all-time record for women). Despite being the veteran in the lineup, Yaxeni brought her best look ever to Columbus, Ohio and if she can carry that over to this weekend, she’ll certainly push Kyle to the limit. Can Oriquen, at her best, beat Kyle at her best? No! Then again, when have we ever seen both ladies at their absolute best in the same show?
A very real wildcard threat comes from Switzerland’s Alina Popa who was 5th at last year’s Ms O and 3rd at the 2012 Ms International. Her beautiful structure, dense muscularity, and impressive conditioning make her a serious threat if Kyle and Oriquen are off their game. Likewise, Slovenia’s Brigita Brezovac, whose flawless shape and beautiful muscle insertions, earned her a 3rd place at last year’s Ms O also poses potential problems if she brings her best come Friday. Deb 
Laszewski, who snagged the 4th spot at the 2011 Ms Olympia is also always dangerous. She packs more muscle on her small frame that any other competitor onstage; and that counts for a lot in a bodybuilding contest. The final threat in this lineup comes from Tampa Florida’s Sheila Bleck, who finished 6th at last year’s Ms O. Bleck’s strengths range from her incredible muscle separation (especially in her front quads) and diced conditioning to her flawless presentation. When it comes to the posing round, there aren’t many competitors on the Olympia stage who are more creative and entertaining than Sheila.
All in all, women make up 2/3 of the entire program for the Olympia weekend; and, in my mind, the ladies of the Olympia create just as much excitement and anticipation as the men. In the end, when all is said and done, I’m sure they’ll be plenty of debate, talk, and analysis. But, after all, that’s what makes the Olympia weekend so much fun!
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