Women’s bodybuilding, figure, fitness and bikini prejudging report and galleries
September 24, 2010
FLEXONLINE.COM
The 2010 Olympia Weekend women’s competitions kicked off as female bodybuilding, fitness, figure and bikini competitors took the stage at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here’s how it’s shaping up in each division.
FITNESS
Fourteen ladies took the stage and it included a few first time Olympians, a 4-time champion, and the first ever Fitness Olympia Champion Mia Finnegan. Four-time Fitness Olympia winner Adela Garcia stood above her peers once again and was quickly placed in the center of the first callout. The judges seem to have agreed on the top three as Garcia, Trish Warren, and Tanji Johnson were sent back from the first callout to watch the rest of the ladies battle it out. Warren displayed her great lines and conditioning while Johnson had a tiny waist and a bit softer look. Tonight these ladies will kick off the finals with their two-minute routines and things could change drastically.
BIKINI
History was made as the first ever Bikini Olympia pre-judging is in the books and the top 3 were right in line with all of the pre-show predictions. Nathalia Melo, Sonia Gonzales, and Nicole Nagrani are in a tight battle for first. All three have tight, compact physiques, but each has a strength the others don’t. Nagrani owned the stage with confidence and charm that surpass her 18 years of age; Gonzales won three shows this year and has a subtle beauty while Melo has the undeniable sex appeal. As these three came out for a final comparison, the judges were left with no easy task in selecting the first ever Bikini Olympia Champion. Rounding out the Top 6 is likely to be the curvy and beautiful Ali Rosen, bright smiled Jamie Baird, and the alluring Amanda Latona.
FIGURE
The Figure Olympia celebrated its 8th birthday this morning and in that short time has become the premier women’s physique event. Twenty-four ladies earned their way here, but in the end the two pre-show favorites were alone on stage for a historic comparison. Reigning champion Nicole Wilkins-Lee brought some new muscle to compliment her beautiful lines. Top challenger Erin Stern came with her statuesque and athletic physique that is always a crowd favorite. As was often said about Ronnie Coleman during his eight year reign as Mr. Olympia, you can’t just beat the champ; you have to knock him (her) out definitively. With the improvements Wilkins-Lee made, no one could deliver a knockout blow and the defending champion looks to be in a strong position for tomorrow night’s finals.
The rest of the placings are up for grabs and some new faces mixed it up with the known favorites. As expected, Heather Mae French and Kristal Richardson will make the top 5 with their similar tiny waists and striking beauty. Teresa Anthony finally nailed it and brought the conditioning befitting her amazing structure and the petite Felicia Romero also came in tight enough to be in the fight for 5th or 6th. Also watch out for Alicia Harris, who rose out of the second callout and could easily crack the top six. Two other impressive top 10 competitors are Terri Turner and Candice Keene; both these ladies had incredible seasons and should be rising up the Olympia ranks for years to come.
MS OLYMPIA
Last on stage this morning was the Ms. Olympia, or what quickly became the Iris Kyle show. Kyle hit her first pose and quickly served notice to all in attendance; then she turned around and put herself in a different league. Next to Kyle, the best physiques in the world look like amateurs – she’s that good. Kyle is undeniably the favorite to collect her sixth overall title (tying Cory Everson) and her seventh career Ms. Olympia title (one shy of Lenda Murray’s eight).
Following Kyle, Yaxeni Garcia-Oriquen was back to her champion form and Debi Laszewski had her best showing to date. Shelia Bleck also battled her way into the first callout with sharp conditioning and some added size from her IFBB debut at the NY Pro. The last of the top 5 will be a tough and close call between Heather Foster, Dayana Cadeau, and Cathy LeFrancois. While there were only 11 competitors on the Ms. Olympia stage, each one was spot on and helped to breathe some much needed life into women’s bodybuilding.
Check out FLEXONLINE all weekend for live updates, photos, and videos of the entire Olympia weekend.
