Olympia 2026: And NEW or And STILL?!

Welp, it's that time of the year again: The Olympia is upon us, the biggest event of the year for the bodybuilding industry. If you make this stage, you have made it as a bodybuilder as not everyone gets to grace the Olympia stage, no matter how much they want to. Personal issues have kept me from making a better predictions post this year, but I will at least post who I feel will leave Las Vegas as the best of their respective divisions.

Ms. Olympia...And STILL

The field is pretty small this year (Visa issues kept some competitors from making the trip) but it doesn't make it any less exciting. While Andrea Shaw looked great and won the Rising Phoenix a few weeks ago, it wasn't the dominant victory that folks expected. In fact, some have said that this might be the year Andrea gets beaten at the O. However, she will be going into this show with some extra motivation: She revealed in the Olympia press conference today that her mom is currently in the ICU. Andrea is doing the show for her. I truly believe her dedicating this show to her mom is what is going to propel her to another Olympia title, but we all know that is not going to be the most important thing on her mind this weekend. On behalf of not just FitGems Nation but all of the bodybuilding community, our thoughts and prayers out to Andrea's mom and we are hoping for a safe recovery.

Women's Physique Olympia...And STILL

There is no rivalry in the female muscle world right now bigger than Natalia Coelho and Sarah Villegas. Natalia is the current champion and apparently that really got under Sarah's skin so much that posted a video a month heading into this show about PMMA allegations. I felt that was a low brow, bush league move. You lost last year, just be better than her this year ON THE STAGE. Prove you're the better woman ON THE STAGE. The fact that Natalia would rather do her talking ON THE STAGE shows me that she has what it takes to repeat...which I feel she will. 

Fitness Olympia...And NEW

This field feels different without names such as Whitney Jones, Ariel Khadr, Missy Truscott (now in figure), Oksana Grishina, and Tamara Vahn, but different doesn't mean boring because the fitness division is anything BUT boring. Michelle Mensah had a great showing last year, shocking the world wining the Fitness Olympia and continuing her hot streak earlier this year winning the Arnold Classic US and UK Fitness titles. On paper, she has a great chance to repeat, but something about Jaclyn Baker leads me to believe this is finally her year to shine. She has been runner-up for quite some time and she has only focus on one show this year, the Olympia, and I truly feel we will see the best version of Jaclyn yet and will finally win the big one.

Figure Olympia...And STILL

Ever since the higher-ups announced the changes to how figure would be rewarded, there have been some surprising results in the later part of the year, sending a message to those that just relied on size and conditioning that they will be penalized for it. However, they are trying to let competitors know that Rhea Gayle is what they are looking for in figure. She represented the best of the figure division last year, and based off their criteria they are trying to enforce, I don't see why Rhea can't repeat this year. With them getting each competitors weights and heights for potential caps in the division, figure might be overgoing quite a change come next season. The top 6 is something to keep an eye on this year.

Bikini Olympia...And NEW

Maureen Blanquisco returned to the stage last year and out-of-nowhere reclaimed the Bikini Olympia title. Her first was in 2022. Maureen definitely has what it takes to repeat but there is this thing called momentum...and to me, no one has moment in that division right now quite like Ashley Kaltwasser. Coming off an unprecedented 60th pro win, this will be Ashley's 98th show (just two shy out of doing 100 pro shows). I'm well aware she has not won the big one since 2015, but over the last few years, she has come extremely close to winning the big one again. It's not luck that she has 60 pro wins, and I truly feel she will put together the right package to win her 4th Olympia title.

Wellness Olympia...And NEW

As I mentioned earlier with bikini, momentum is a real thing, especially with competition. To me, the one that has is the most is the current Arnold Classis US and UK Wellness Champion Rayane Fogal. Many thought she was borderline figure due to her impressive upper body, but this year, she finally found the right balance she needed to truly challenge for the title of top wellness champion. 

Fit Model Olympia...And INARGUAL

This weekend someone will join the likes of Rachel McLish, Dana Linn Bailey, Mia Finnegan, Jenny Lynn, Sonia Gonazlez, and Francielle Mattos as the inaugural champion of a division. I can honestly say that I have not followed fit model as closely as the other divisions so I have no real opinion on it at the moment, but thanks to BTS TV, they did a great job putting together not only a list of the competitors but their total number of shows, their wins, and their top 3 placings. Based off that and that alone, I'm going to choose Faithlyn Derla. She has competed eight times and in those eight times, she won a show, was a runner-up in 2 shows, and placed 3rd in 3 shows. Her track record is among the best of the competitors, But whoever is the winner here not only makes HERstory, but will set the tone for this new division going forward, and that is definitely something to get excited about.

So there you have it, a condensed version of how I think the Olympia will go down this year. Since the Olympia will be FREE to stream this year (shoutout to the sponsors who made that possible) I will definitely be watching and making post-show posts on here sometime next week. To sign up for the free Olympia livestream if you haven't done so already, go to OlympiaProductions.com. It will take you less than 30 seconds to do it. Best of luck to everyone competing this year in Vegas!

Olympia 2025 Predictions

Welcome to the biggest week on the bodybuilding calendar, Olympia Week! A lot will do down this week as far as photoshoots and expos are concerned, but the main events will take place on Friday and Saturday as the best competitors of the year come together to see who is THE best of the best. And with this being the 60th anniversary of this event, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING can happen. As always, here's our predictions for the female categories as we will do top 5 and a wildcard.

Ms. Olympia

14 women will be competing for the top prize in the women's bodybuilding division, and to be honest with you, this looks like this is gonna be a battle for 2nd place as Andrea Shaw came in to the Rising Phoenix a few weeks ago looking downright unbeatable. Her biggest competitor Natalia Kovaleva was indeed bigger than Andrea at this event but Andrea's conditioning was too good to ignore. I see Andrea winning once again, which will make it her six straight Olympia title, tying the legendary Cory Everson. 2nd and 3rd is a tossup for me between Angela Yeo and Ashley Jones. Ashley had an awesome Ms. Olympia debut and I can see her as a future Ms. O but Yeo is no slouch either and I feel could potentially challenge Shaw as well. In what I feel will be a great rookie debut, I'm gonna give my 4th place spot to Melissa Teich. She looks RIDICULOUS and I feel could shake up the lineup. 5th place I'll go with Natalia Kovaleva. I have a feeling she is going to surpass her Rising Phoenix look big time. My wildcard is the 2025 Masters Ms. Olympia Tiana Flex. I expect the top masters women's bodybuilding competitor to pull out all the stops and find her way to the top 5 of the open division. But no matter what, Tiana will make history the second she steps on stage as she will be the first South African competitor EVER on the Olympia stage.

PREDICTIONS:

1. Andrea Shaw
2. Andrea Yeo
3. Ashley Jones
4. Melissa Teich
5. Natalia Kovaleva

Wildcard: Tiana Flex

All competitors (In order):

1. Alcione Santos Barreto 
2. Leyvina Barro
3. Nadia Capotosto
4. Chelsea Dion
5. Tiana Flex
6. Selyka Givan
7. Hunter Henderson
8. Ashley Lynnette Jones
9. Anastasia Korableva
10. Natalia Kovaleva
11. Martina Lopez
12. Andrea Shaw
13. Melissa Teich
14. Angela Yeo

Women's Physique Olympia

We have 18 women fighting for women's physique top honor. For a while, women's physique has been a two-women show between Sarah Villegas and Natalia Coelho, and for this year, I don't see that changing. Since 2019, they have been in the top 3 every year with them fighting for the top TWO spots since 2020. Sarah has gotten the better of Natalia every year except for 2022. One thing about Sarah, once she loses, she will fight like hell to make sure she doesn't do that again, which is a big reason for her success and I see her nabbing another title this weekend with Natalia falling to her once again. Should that be the case, Sarah will becoming the winninest Ms. Women's Physique Olympia ever, surpassing Juliana Malacarne, which just might close the women's physique GOAT case once and for all. The rest of the top 5 might be intriguing to you all. I'm gonna go with Zama Benta for 3rd, and the woman that pushed her to the brink at the Tampa Pro, Meghan Morrison (fka Santa Barbera) placing 4th (she might be the talk of the Olympia with her Amazonian height and weight, dwarfing the women's physique competitors...our one to watch over all the competitors regardless of division), with Barbara Menage rounding out the top 5. Our wildcard is Paula Ranta. Her social media has seen her put in INSANE work and I have a feeling she is going to do her best to make her presence known in Vegas.

PREDICTIONS:

1. Sarah Villegas
2. Natalia Coelho
3. Zama Benta
4. Meghan Morrison
5. Barbara Menage

Wildcard: Paula Ranta

All competitors (in order):

1. Natalia Abraham Coelho
2. Birgit Andersch
3. Elena Aviles Romero
4. Zama Benta
5. Sarah Crail
6. Julia Glazycheva
7. Sheronica Henton
8. Brittany Herrera
9. Amanda Machado
10. Robyn Mays
11. Barbara Menage
12. Meghan Morrison
13. Evon Pennington
14. Trisha Pollydore
15. Paula Ranta
16. Nana Silva
17. Karla Melissa Torres Cruz
18. Sarah Villegas

Fitness Olympia

11 women will fight for fitness's top prize and I'm very intrigued on how this one is gonna go down with no Missy Truscott, Whitney Jones, Oksana Grishina, and Ariel Khadr in the mix. Looking at the list, on paper, Jaclyn Baker seems to be the favorite to win at the reigning Miss Fitness International but Tamara Vahn has proven that she is fine wine in the fitness world. Jenny Worth is going into the Olympia as the reigning Masters Olympia Fitness Champion and would nothing more than to win the one title she's never won and cap off one of the greatest careers the fitness division has ever seen. Taylor Learmont might not be the biggest or most conditioned on stage, but she more than makes up for her with her routines, which may I remind you is 2/3rds of the overall score in fitness. Michelle Fredua-Mensah has been making serious strides in the fitness division with her physique and routines, so I easily see her in the top five. My wildcard for fitness goes to Amber Steffen. I could see her shaking up the top 5.

PREDICTIONS:

1. Jaclyn Baker
2. Tamara Vahn
3. Taylor Learmont
4. Michelle Fredua-Mensah
5. Jenny Worth

Wildcard: Amber Steffen

All competitors (in order):

1. Jaclyn Baker
2. Anna Fomina
3. Michelle Fredua-Mensah
4. Andrea Glass
5. Amy Hamilton
6. Allison Kramer
7. Taylor Learmont
8. Amber Steffen
9. Tamara Vahn
10. Jenny Worth
11. Jessica Zehr

Figure Olympia

OH BOY...this one is gonna be THE one to watch for the women...which is something I've not been able to say for the past eight years. That is NOT a diss to Cydney Gillion though. In fact, that is a testament to her dominance over the division for nearly a decade winning eight straight Olympia titles, solidifying her as arguably the greatest figure competitor of all time. The figure division is now in the post-Cydney era and it is WIDE OPEN. 28 women have a chance to write a new chapter in the figure division. Jessica Reyes Padilla, the defending Masters Figure Olympia champion, has been runner-up at the Olympia for the past three years, and with no Cydney to deal with hopes that 2025 is FINALLY the year she breaks through. But her new biggest threat to the title is a former FITNESS Olympia champion who looks to make history as the first-ever two division Olympia Champion. I'm talking about Missy Truscott. In her first two shows in figure since leaving the fitness division, she has smoked the competition and is looking to take the figure division by the throat and putting in in a chokehold much like she did in fitness. I see Lola Montez and Nicole Zenobia Graham taking 3rd and 4th while Denise Zwinger-Tynek, who I felt was the best international competitor in the figure division this year, rounds out the top 5. My wildcard for this one is the returning Sandra Grajales. She returned to the stage after many years away and didn't miss a beat, dare I say better than ever. Wouldn't surprise me one bit to see her get a high placing. Figure fans have been wanting a competitive Olympia for a while...and this year, you're finally gonna get your wish! 

PREDICTIONS:

1. Jessica Reyes Padilla
2. Missy Truscott
3. Lola Montex
4. Nicole Zenobia Graham
5. Denise Zwinger-Tynek

Wildcard: Sandra Grajales

All competitors (in order): 

1. Dorethane Agathina
2. Ayra Bahar
3. Kristina Bodnariuk
4. Anna Borin
5. Thais Cabrices Werner
6. Sherlyn Chee
7. Maria Diaz
8. Rhea Gayle
9. Rejoice Godwin
10. Nicole Zenobia Graham
11. Sandra Grajales
12. Nadine Claudia Huber
13. Sophie Jenkins
14. Manuella Lima
15. Tamera Malone
16. Lola Montez
17. Chelsea Mooney
18. Ericka Morgan
19. Adela Ondrejovicova
20. Lena Ramsteiner
21. Jessica Reyes Padilla
22. Taylor Santucci
23. Natalia Soltero
24. Missy Truscott
25. Aksana Yukhno
26. Helen Zavitsanou
27. Jennifer Zienert
28. Denise Zwinger-Tynek

Bikini Olympia

A staggering SIXTY EIGHT WOMEN will be fighting for this year's Bikini Olympia title. SIXTY EIGHT. Good Lord...that number is downright ridiculous for the biggest show of the year, and that is NOT a compliment. No wonder there are changes being made for the bikini divison (and a few others) because that is entirely too many people for one category. Many open shows don't have that many people competing with MULTIPLE divisions!!! Anywhos...back to the competition itself. Lauralie Chapados is aiming to defend her title and Ashley Kaltwasser is aiming to add another Olympia title to her already Hall-of-Fame worthy resume. Ashley is a 3-time Miss Bikini Olympia champion but she has not won the title since 2015. As much as I think Lauralie is gonna bring enough to repeat ac champion, I think Ashley could do just enough to win her first Olympia title in over a decade. She's not the winningest IFBB competitor of all time for nothing, you know. For 3rd place, I'm going with the current Bikini International Champion Vania Auguste, followed by Amiee Delgado in 4th and Jasmine Gonzalez in 5th. My wildcard is definitely a wildcard with the amount of women on here but I'll going to go with the 2022 Ms. Bikini Olympia Champion Maureen Blanquisco, who returned to the stage this year after taking 2024 off. 

PREDICTIONS:

1. Ashley Kaltwasser
2. Lauralie Chapados
3. Vania Auguste
4. Amiee Delgado
5. Jasmine Gonzalez

Wildcard: Maureen Blanquisco

All competitors (in order): 

1. Maria Acosta
2. Vania Auguste
3. Iulia Baba
4. Uyanga Bataa
5. Wu Bi
6. Liang Bin
7. Maureen Blanquisco
8. Jordan Brannon
9. Ariana Brothers
10. Nivea Campos
11. Kate Carroll
12. Lauralie Chapados
13. Xinyi Chen
14. Sara Choi
15. Lu Corzo Argentina
16. Taylor Crowell
17. Viktoria Csicsayova
18. Deanna Dang
19. Aimee Delgado
20. Wenjun Duan
21. Marie-Eve Duchesneau
22. Lawna Dunbar
23. Ivanna Escandar
24. Valeria Fedorenko
25. Jess Feeney
26. Brittany Gillespie
27. Jasmine Gonzalez
28. Gulsah Gorgulu
29. Tara Grier
30. Ashley Hampton
31. Kerryne Henich
32. Chantal Hill
33. Dahye Jeon
34. Adrianna Kaczmarek
35. Ashley Kaltwasser
36. Sally-Anne Kato
37. Nittaya Kongthun
38. Lauren Kralovec
39. Yume Kurokawa
40. Jourdanne Lee
41. Adair Libbrecht
42. Ashlyn Little
43. Jessica Liu
44. Alice Marchisio
45. Zsofia Molnar
46. Ndeye Ndour
47. Yurika Noda
48. Cristobalina Pajares Torres
49. Hye-Yeon Park
50. Ji Bin Park
51. Reyna Perez Mecalco
52. Sara Punzetti
53. Sharon Ramos
54. Lisa Reith
55. Alice Rocha
56. Lacy Rutland
57. Jil Meret Schmitz
58. Anna Setlak
59. Kerry Sexton
60. Eugenia Shatova
61. Li Shuai
62. Allison Testu
63. Patrizia Vaccaro
64. Ally Vatthauer
65. Savannah Watchman
66. Tianna Weymouth
67. Jessica Wilson
68. Mengru Zhang

Wellness Olympia

If it hasn't been obvious yet, this has become THE female division fans have been paying the most attention to these days, and can you blame them? The talent that has come through has been off-the-charts. But there is a big change for this year's event. Last year, Isabella Nunes shocked the world defeating previously unbeaten and inaugural Miss Wellness Olympia champion Francielle Mattos to win the title. As much as folks would love to see a rematch between them, that will have to wait as Francielle will not be competing this year, marking the first time since the Wellness Olympia was created that she will not be competing in this event. HOWEVER, we are going to get a rematch from earlier this year as the reigning Wellness International champion Eduarda Bezerra defeated Isabelle to win the Arnold crown and she would love nothing more than to do it again but this time capture the biggest title in wellness. I have a feeling Isabelle will be ready for Eduarda so I'm going to say AND STILL for Isabelle, but it won't be easy. For 3rd place, I'm going with an improved Rayane Fogal, who has seemingly nailed the wellness look, no longer looking like borderline figure anymore. For 4th place, I'm going to go with Shanique Grant, who (like Missy Truscott) has the opportunity to become a history-making two-division Olympia champion, with Kassandra Gillis rounding out the top 5. My wildcard for the wellness division is Tefani-Sam Genadi Razhi. The fact that Tefani was able to nail her look to win a pro show this year, when some say her look was TOO MUCH for the division, has me thinking she could shake things up. 

PREDICTIONS:

1. Isabelle Nunes
2. Eduarda Bezerra
3. Rayane Fogal
4. Shanique Grant
5. Kassandra Gillis

Wildcard: Tefani-Sam Genadi Razhi

All competitors (in order):

1. Elisa Alcantara
2. Emily Azzarello
3. Eduarda Bezerra
4. Karol Borrero
5. Leonida Ciobu
6. Jade Cristaldo
7. Klaudia Vanessza Csuri
8. Raeli Dias
9. Rayane Fogal
10. Kassandra Gillis
11. Shanique Grant
12. Michelle Ibata
13. Liza Kazanina
14. Valquiria Lopes
15. Camile Luz
16. Giselle Machado
17. Lisa Meiswinkel
18. Daniele Mendonca
19. Lilian Nava
20. Alexis Nicole
21. Isabelle Nunes
22. Maria Rita Penteado
23. Tefani-Sam Genadi Razhi
24. Rosemary Rodriguez
25. Alicia Romero
26. Nicole Salazar
27. Isamara Santos
28. Renata Soares Guaraciaba
29. Sina Maria Teresa
30. Danai Theodoropoulou

And there you have it...my Olympia predictions for this year. I've been hit and miss for the most past these past couple of years and I see this year being no exception. They all are special, but on paper, the fitness and figure divisions will definitely be the most much-anticipated as we are guaranteed new champions in both divisions. Everyone who is stepping on stage this weekend has earned that right to be on there, but only one in each division can call themselves THE ABSOUTE BEST IN THE WORLD. Who will it be? We will all find out this weekend! 

For all things Olympia (interviews, behind-the-scenes, webcast purchasing, etc.), go to https://www.olympiaproductions.com/.

Our 2022 Olympia Recap

Your 2022 Olympia Champions!
Photo credit: NPC News Online

Literally the largest Olympia in history has officially come and gone with new champions crowned and current ones retaining their crowns. Here’s my take on each division as well as who made the top 5 in each female category.

MS. OLYMPIA

Ever since the return of the Ms. Olympia competition in 2020, Andrea Shaw has proven that she is the new standard of women’s bodybuilding. This was no different this year as Andrea left Vegas as a 3x Champion, putting herself in dynasty mode with the likes of Cory Everson, Lenda Murray, and Iris Kyle. Outside of winning, Angela Yeo couldn’t have had a better Olympia debut, as she placed 2nd. I would not be suprised if Angela is the one to dethrone Andrea down the line…maybe as early as next year! Helle Trevino placed 3rd with her incredible physique. Margie Martin places 4th in her final show, and considering her career, that’s not a bad way to go being one of the top five female bodybuilders in the world. Branka Njegovec, who NO ONE (including yours truly) had in their predictions, rounded out the top 5.

Ms. Olympia Top 5:

1. Andrea Shaw
2. Angela Yeo
3. Helle Trevino
4. Margin Martin
5. Branka Njegovec

WOMEN’S PHYSIQUE OLYMPIA

“Be so good they can’t ignore you”. That’s one hell of a quote that is oh so true. After spending nearly half a decade being the bridesmaid at the Olympia, this year she FINALLY breaks through the glass ceiling and can finally add Women’s Physique Olympia champion to her incredible lists of accolades. She had to be perfect to win the title and it was clear from prejudging that she could not be denied any longer. Sarah Villegas, the now-former champion, was the talk of the town at the Olympia Press conference due to showing off her outstanding legs, and folks said that a third title was in the bag. But one day can change everything and that’s exactly what happened. Natalia was better in every way, shape, and form this year and it resulted in a new champion. But Sarah will NOT go down that easily, and I’m already awaiting a rematch between them in 2023. Brooke Walker finished 3rd once again, but came in with a better package and might disrupt Natalia and/or Sarah next year if she keeps this up. Barbara Menage (who many say should be a Masters Olympia favorite next year) placed 4th and Ivie Rhein rounded out the top 5.

Women’s Physique Olympia Top 5:

1. Natalia Abraham Coelho
2. Sarah Villegas 
3. Brooke Walker
4. Barbara Menage 
5. Ivie Rhein

FITNESS OLYMPIA

A new champion was guaranteed due to Whitney Jones sitting out due to health concerns. When Missy Truscott walked on stage during prejudging, it was made painfully clear that it was hers to lose. Missy was head and shoulders above everyone else this year. How appropriate that her routine was her being a shark smelling blood in the water. It was fitting as she walked away with her 2nd Fitness Olympia title in 3 years. Jaclyn Baker brought a much improved physique and routine which made her runner-up and her highest Olympia placement yet. Ariel Khadr, this year’s Fitness International Champion, placed 3rd with her Terminator routine and her physique, which was impressive but a bit softer than at the Arnold, which might have hurt her at the Olympia. Sarah Kovach placed 4th and rounding out the top five was Michelle Freda-Mensah in her Olympia debut, and capping off a huge first year for her as a pro.

Fitness Olympia Top 5:

1. Missy Truscott
2. Jaclyn Baker
3. Ariel Khadr
4. Sarah Kovach
5. Michelle Freda-Mensah

FIGURE OLYMPIA

Tell me if you’ve heard this before: “Cydney Gillon is Miss Figure Olympia.” Since 2017, she has won every Olympia. Her last loss came in 2018 at the Arnold Classic Australia, where she placed 2nd. At this point, the only two ways Cydney will lose the title is 1) she retires, making way for a new champion or 2) the person that can beat her has yet to step on an Olympia stage. But there is no denying that Cydney will go down as the greatest figure competitor of all time. Jessica Reyes Padilla, who had an amazing 2022, placed 2nd to cap off her big year. Lola Montez, who had a banner 2022 herself, made HUGE strides to place 3rd. Jossie Becerra placed 4th in her Olympia debut, and Natalia Soltero rounded out the top five.

Figure Olympia Top 5:

1. Cydney GIllon
2. Jessica Reyes Padilla
3. Lola Montez
4. Jossie Becerra
5. Natalia Soltero

BIKINI OLYMPIA

The one thing that’s for sure about the Bikini Olympia…is nothing’s for sure. In what to me was the surprise of the weekend, Maureen Blanquisco took home the Bikini Olympia title, ending a big year for her. Last year’s champ Jennifer Dorie would end up in the runner-up spot. Ashley Kaltwasser, while winning more shows than anyone in IFBB history hasn’t won the big one since 2015, will have to wait another year to capture the gold once again as she placed 3rd. Daraja Hill, who is quickly becoming a star in the bikini division, placed 4th and Lauralie Chapados, after placing runner-up last year, rounds out the top 5.

Bikini Olympia Top 5:

1. Maureen Blanquisco
2. Jennifer Dorie
3. Ashley Kaltwasser
4. Daraja Hill
5. Lauralie Chapados

WELLNESS OLYMPIA

Last year, Francielle Mattos made history by becoming the first-ever Miss Wellness Olympia. This year, with a even better physique, Francielle made sure she was the ONLY one who could call herself Miss Wellness Olympia as she successfully defended her title against a much bigger field of competitors. The first-ever Wellness International Champion Isabelle Nunes placed in the runner-up spot, meaning we will have to wait a bit longer for our first-ever Undisupted Wellness Champion (Arnold and Olympia in the same season) to be crowned. She switched places with Angela Borges, who placed 3rd this year after being the runner-up last year. Kassandra Gillis made a HUGE jump from last year right out of the top 10 (11th) to placing in the top five at number 4. Rounding out the top five was Rayane Santana, who many feel could be a future Wellness Olympia champion sooner rather than later. 

Wellness Olympia Top 5:

1. Francielle Mattos 
2. Isabelle Nunes 
3. Angela Borges 
4. Kassandra Gillis 
5. Rayane Santana

While the Olympia in Vegas brought back plenty of memories and nostalgia, next year’s event goes back to Orlando and it will take place the first week of November, so a bit earlier than this year. For everything Olympia, including photos and placings of ALL the competitors, go to https://www.mrolympia.com as well as the NPC News Online Olympia Recap.

2022 Olympia Predictions

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, ya filthy animals! This is the best time of the year…and no, I’m not just talking about the holidays…I’m talking about the Olympia, which is BACK in Vegas for the first time since the pandemic moved the event to Florida in 2020. This weekend, we will determine the best of the best of all divisions. To make it to this stage is vindication of you as a competitor. It shows that you are among the best in the world at what you do. 196 women will step on the biggest stage in bodybuilding, more than any time in HISTORY. Only 6 can call themselves THE absolute best. Below are my predictions on what I THINK will happen, and nothing more. Please remember that as you read through them. I picked my top six in each category as well as a dark horse (or two). Enjoy!

MS. OLYMPIA

21 women are in this year’s Ms. Olympia contest, including current champion Andrea Shaw. When the Ms. Olympia made its return in 2020, Andrea has represented what I feel most want women’s bodybuilding to be: incredible size, shape, and condition with plenty of feminine qualities, and Andrea has it all and then some. Margie Martin has shown that she is among one of the best in the world and has given Andrea a run for her money ever since the Ms. Olympia resurgence. Helle Trevino has wowed folks for quite some time and has what it takes to do it again. Angela Yeo has some of the biggest buzz I’ve seen for a pro female bodybuilder in some time and when you look at her, it’s not hard to see why. Theresa Ivancik has returned to bodybuilding after a stint in women’s physique and I feel she is in the right division for her, and she will show that this weekend. I also feel MayLa Ash is going to turn some heads as well with her incredible physique. For the Ms. O, I got Andrea remaining queen of bodybuilding and Margie as runner-up. For the rest of the top 6, I have Angela in 3rd, Helle in 4th, Theresa in 5th, and MayLa in 6th. My dark horse is Irene Anderson.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 MS. OLYMPIA:

1. Andrea Shaw
2. Margie Martin
3. Angela Yeo
4. Helle Trevino
5. Theresa Ivancik
6. MayLa Ash (Dark horse: Irene Anderson)

WOMEN’S PHYSIQUE OLYMPIA

24 women will compete for the honor of calling themselves the best women’s physique competitor in the world. Last year, Sarah Villegas proved that her win in 2020 over Shanique Grant was no fluke when she successfully retained her title. I know I shouldn’t beat against Sarah given her track record but this year’s crop of ladies is INSANE. Brooke Walker put folks on notice last year with a 3rd place finish. Anne Mohn is the current Arnold UK Champion and is looking incredible. Natalia Coelho has fought and fought and fought for the last few Olympias and would love to FINALLY taste Olympia gold rather than silver for the first time in her career. We finally get to see Ashley Jones make her much-anticipated Olympia debut and I feel that woman is gonna turn some heads this weekend. With that being said, I just don’t see Sarah giving up the title just yet, so I see a 3-peat in her future. I got Anne Mohn in the runner-up spot, followed by Ashley Jones in 3rd (yes, I have her that high for her first Olympia), then Natalia in 4th, Brooke in 5th, and Melissa Teich to round out the top six. My dark horse is Evon Pennington.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 WOMEN’S PHYSIQUE OLYMPIA:

1. Sarah Villegas
2. Anne Mohn
3. Ashley Jones
4. Natalia Coelho
5. Brooke Walker
6. Melissa Teich (Dark horse: Evon Pennington)

FITNESS OLYMPIA

At least one division will have a new champion as Whitney Jones will not be defending her title due to health issues she’s working on. She will be having other roles at the Olympia this weekend. 20 fitness women (as of this writing) are set to compete this weekend. To me this is going to come down to three ladies: current Fitness International Champion Ariel Khadr, and former Fitness Olympia Champions Missy Truscott and Oksana Grishina. All three come in with crazy physiques and insane routines that have wowed the crowd for quite some time. My pick to win goes to Ariel slightly because she has tasted winning one of the big ones in the form of the Fitness International title and she would love nothing more but to leave Vegas as the UNDISPUTED Queen of Fitness. Missy wants to come back with a vengeance after losing her title in 2021, but I feel she will be runner-up again…but it will be by a very slight margin. As far as the rest of the top 6, I have Oksana in 3rd, Tamara in 4th, Jaclyn in 5th, and Minna in 6th, with my dark horse being Sarah Kovach.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 FITNESS OLYMPIA:

1. Ariel Khadr
2. Missy Truscott 
3. Oksana Grishina
4. Tamara Vahn
5. Jaclyn Baker
6. Minna Pajulahti (Dark Horse: Sarah Kovach)

FIGURE OLYMPIA

39 women are set to compete for figure’s top prize, which for the last few years has been dominated by one woman…Cydney Gillon. Since 2017, Cydney has been the standard for the figure division. Last year, she arguably became the greatest figure competitor of all time by winning her fifth-straight title. She will look to continue to put herself in the history books by winning an sixth-straight Olympia title. VERY few have done that, but if anyone can do it, It’s her. HOWEVER…it won’t be easy. Jessica Reyes Padilla has had one of the most impressive winning records this year of any figure competitor, and to me will be the one woman that keeps Cydney from winning title number six. But big time players always show up in big time moments, hence why I’m going to give the notch to Cydney but barely. I have Jessica as runner-up, followed by Nicole Zenobia Graham in 3rd, Lola Montez in 4th, Natalia Soltero in 5th and Bojana rounding out the top six. I’m going to pick TWO dark horses for figure: Wendy Fortino (who has went a WHOLE new level this year) and Angelita Lopez (who I feel is going to shock many folks this weekend)

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 FIGURE OLYMPIA:

1. Cydney Gillon
2. Jessica Reyes Padilla
3. Nicole Zenobia Graham
4. Lola Montez
5. Natalia Soltero
6. Bojana Vasiljevic (Dark horses: Wendy Fortino and Angelita Lopez)

BIKINI OLYMPIA

Bikini’s top honor will be contested by 54 women….54 WOMEN!!! BRUH! That’s a lot of women to judge in one division. EASILY the biggest category of the weekend, male or female. Last year, Jennifer Dorie won the Bikini Olympia for the first time in her career, and honestly…I don’t see her wanting to give it up that easily. But at the same time, I can see Ashley Kaltwasser (the most winningest champion in IFBB history) want to win the Olympia again (she hasn’t won it since 2015) to add to her impressive resume. And then there’s Erin Stern, who has made quite the amazing transition from figure star to bikini star who I feel has finally found her footing in bikini. Janet Layng would love to be Bikini Olympia champion once more. With that being said, I’m going go with Jennifer repeating, with Erin as the runner-up, then Ashley in 3rd, Janet in 4th, Elisa in 5th, and rounding out the top 6 with Daraja. My dark horse is India Paulino, a woman that is NO stranger to being a top bikini star.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 BIKINI OLYMPIA:

1. Jennifer Dorie
2. Erin Stern
3. Ashley Kaltwasser
4. Janet Layug
5. Elisa Pecini 
6. Daraja Hill (Dark horse: India Paulino)

WELLNESS OLYMPIA

Last year, history was made with the first-ever Wellness Olympia. This year, we have 38 women looking to add their name to the list…or technically 37 women to add their name to the list and only one to make sure she IS the list…the current champion Francielle Mattos. Once all the ladies made their Wellness walks last year, it was clear that Francielle would be the one to make history. She looks to keep it going this weekend as she has VASLEY improved on her physique, which some folks will say her winning again is a foregone conclusion. The first-ever Wellness International Champion Isabelle Nunes will have something to say about this, as she looks to become the first-ever Undisputed Wellness Queen (winning both the Arnold AND Olympia Wellness titles). Yarishna Ayala did not come in at her best at last year’s Olympia. I have a feel she will right that wrong and MAYBE witness her dream of becoming an Olympia champion. The Andrews sisters are going to bring it like very few can, especially Dr. Sunny, who has continued WOW fans all over. Jacqueline Rios and Rayane Fogal are two ladies that many folks say will turn the Wellness Olympia on its head should they come in. Kassandra Gillis has made an incredible transition from figure to wellness and has proven she belongs on the big stage. Amanda Burnett and Maria Paulette have made folks speechless with their social media content. I have a feeling that will translate well into the Olympia. I can’t front, this is a crapshoot for me to make predictions but here we go anyways: I have Isabelle winning the show, following by Francielle as runner-up, then Rayane in 3rd, Kassandra in 4th, Yarishna in 5th, and Dr. Sunny in 6th, with Maria Paulette as my dark horse. This is the category that I have the LEAST amount of confidence in picking, so please don’t place bets on this one. LOL.

PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 WELLNESS OLYMPIA:

1. Isabella Nunes
2. Francielle Mattos
3. Rayane Fogal de Souza Santana
4. Kassandra Gillis
5. Yarishna Ayala
6. Dr. Sunny Andrews (Dark horse: Maria Paulette Aranguren)

There you have it. My predictions for quite LITERALLY the biggest Olympia in history. We are in for a special weekend before Christmas, and Santa Claus is gonna give a few competitors a Christmas present they will never forget in the form of calling themselves Olympia Champions. To everyone in Vegas competing, good luck to you all! To everyone in Vegas that is competing or just there for the festivities, please be safe and have fun! For everything Olympia, including the full list of all competitors and how to order the PPV, go to https://www.mrolympia.com. Also make sure to follow our Instagram as we hope to have some exclusive content from various folks that will be in Vegas.