Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Christine Pomponio: The Return of the Original Petite Giant?

2026 has been an eventful year for Christine Pomponio...good and not-so-good. We won't post them here out of respect for her, but they are serious enough for her to not do Petite USA (a pageant she has done since 2022) nor will she defend her Ms. Elite Universal Global USA title. However, on her social media post on July 7, she mentioned that she was not done with the pageant world...but also alluded to stepping back on the IFBB stage for the first time in 2 decades. She has KINDA brought it up here and there but for the first time in YEARS, Christine has really sounded more willing to dust off the clear heels and run it back one more time. We've been rooting for this for a while, as you can see in a previous post we made, but it looks like in 2027 or 2028, we might be getting our wish to see one of the original figure queens back on a physique stage. 

Here is what she said on her Instagram and Facebook regarding a potential run-back on the IFBB stage as well as also continuing to be part of the pageant world as well:

To be honest, I am highly considering also getting on stage once again returning to Fitness competitions. Being an IFBB professional fitness competitor, I am getting the desire to return, it has been 19 years since I became pregnant and thought that my winning streak and fitness journey for years was over. However, I am not yet finished with the pageant side of my career either.

Christine in her three Olympia appearances (2004-2006)


Let's be real...who says she can't do both? Definitely not us! There have been quite a few pageant women that have also stepped on physique stages in the same year and have done quite well in both. They didn't choose one or the other. They were wise in how they trained depending on if they were doing traditional pageants or physique competitions. And Christine?! She has had YEARS of training experience, so she knows what she needs to do, depending on where she wants to step on stage at. And as far as Christine stepping on stage, she has more choices to compete in. She can remain in figure, or she can go for bikini, wellness, or fit model. If the IFBB is something she really wants to do next year, expect her to get her training going at some point this year once she is able to get her ordeals in order. 


Christine's Petite USA appearances (2022-2025)


And for those that have followed us for years, you know we have been Team Christine long before FitGems Nation was even a thing, so best believe we will be keeping you all informed on what she plans to do in 2027 and beyond. For those that can remember, Christine was the first petite woman to dominate the figure division, where being small was a disadvantage, but she was determined to make her height a strength, which she successfully did with a pro win, 2 Figure International appearances (both top 6), and 3 Olympia appearances (top 6 in all of them, with her last one in 2006 being in the top 4). How cool would it be to see the Original Petite Giant return to the IFBB one final time and also how cool would it be for her sons to see how their mother got her name in the first place?! That ALONE is motivation to step back on stage. All we know is 2027 could turn out to be a VERY interesting year one of the First Ladies of Figure...and we can't wait to see how all of this unfolds!


Christine winning the 2005 IFBB Tournament of Champions Pro Figure and 2025 Elite Miss Universal Global USA

For more on Christine, make sure to follow her on Facebook (main page and fan page), Instagram, and Threads.

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