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/.

2022 Arnold Predictions

Another year, another Arnold. Last year, it was just the Fitness and Bikini divisions that got to shine due to COVID restrictions. This year, everything is back: The entire experience is back (expo and all)…with one noticeable exception. Women’s physique will not be represented again this year, and despite the return of female bodybuilding to prominence especially at the Olympia due to Jake Wood, women’s bodybuilding is STILL not back at the Arnold. It is disappointing that neither of these divisions are being represented, but it shouldn’t take away from the female divisions that ARE being represented: fitness, figure, bikini, and (making its debut) wellness. 

As everyone knows the Arnold is invite-only and this year, each female division has 10 competitors, which I respect that as it makes the Arnold that much more prestigious as not everyone can (nor should) be able to compete. With that being said, here’s my predictions on the female divisions being represented at the Arnold this year. Let me say that these are just PREDICTIONS. I have no inside info on the show or competitors (never have) so I have no clue how the Arnold is gonna go down. The judges can only judge what is in from of them THAT DAY (and yes, I’ve disagreed plenty of times and will continue to do so when warranted). Do not take these predictions personally. It’s just for fun. 

FITNESS INTERNATIONAL

10 incredible athletes make up this year’s Fitness International field. To me, this will come down to two people: current Fitness International Champion Missy Truscott and Ariel Khadr. Both ladies have (along with Oksana Grishina and Whitney Jones, two women who are not competing at the Arnold this year) the most insane physiques in the fitness division and the most entertaining routines in the industry. Missy would love nothing more than to successfully defend her Arnold crown and become a 3x Champion while Ariel would love to finally break through and win one of the big ones. Based off what I’ve seen of their preps, it will come down to who truly wants it more and who can avoid that one mistake. With that being said…I’m going to go with Missy to win her third-straight Fitness International title as she wants to begin her road to redemption to regain her Fitness Olympia title at the end of the year. Ariel in 2nd, followed by Sara in 3rd, Tamara in 4th, Jacklyn in 5th, and Minna to round out the top 6.

PREDICTIONS:

1. Missy Truscott

2. Ariel Khadr

3, Sara Kovach

4. Tamara Vahn

5. Jaclyn Baker

6. Minna Pajulahti

Other competitors: Amanda Ciani, Kate Errington, Allison Kramer, Aurika Tyrgale

FIGURE INTERNATIONAL

Despite the immense popularity of the wellness division, the figure division is still growing strong, and the 10 invitees for the Figure International prove it. Some are making their Arnold debuts but there is no shortage of OLYMPIA-level talent being in Ohio, including the current 5x Figure Olympia champion Cydney Gillon. Cydney has not lost a contest since the 2018 Arnold Classic Australia, and to be quite honest with you, as amazing as everyone else is, unless they can crake the Cydney code or hopes she comes in very off, I just don’t see her losing at the Arnold. But that’s not to say others won’t give her a run for their money. Natalia Soltero has been hitting on all cylinders the last couple of years, and TECHNICALLY she is the defending Figure International champion as her title was not on the line last year. Jessica Reyes Padilla has been one of the most dominant competitors in the division for quite some time, especially last year where she won 7 out of her 8 competitions, with the Olympia being the only one she didn’t win. Bojana Vasiljevic has one of the most amazing shapes in any division, and she looks like she’s going to come in CRAZY once again based off her prep footage. With all that being said, I got Cydney winning, followed by Jessica in 2nd, Natalia in 3rd, Bojana in 4th, Da Jeong in 5th, and Wendy BY A HAIR rounding out the top 6. 

PREDICTIONS:

1. Cydney Gillon

2. Jessica Reyes Padilla

3. Natalia Soltero

4. Bojana Vasiljevic

5. An Da Jeong

6. Wendy Fortino

Other competitors: Latoya Farley, Nicole Zenobia Graham, Lola Montez, Larhannah Robinson

BIKINI INTERNATIONAL

10 beautiful women will look to make Columbus, Ohio the most beautiful place on Earth (if only for a few days) with the crowning of a new Bikini International champion. The reigning champion Jennifer Dorie will not defend her crown, making a way for a new champion to emerge. Considering the roll she has been on, I don’t see how you can NOT have Ashley Kaltwasser as the favorite here. She has won 31 contests, more than any male or female IFBB athlete EVER and she just keeps getting better and better each contest with no plans of slowing down anytime soon. When someone like that is on a roll, good luck trying to stop them…especially in their hometown. I have a feeling she will win her first Big One since 2015. For the remaining top six, I have Elisa in 2nd, followed by Maureen in 3rd, Jourdanne in 4th, Alessia in 5th, and Danielle in 6th.

PREDICTIONS:

1. Ashley Kaltwasser

2. Elisa Pecini

3. Maureen Blanquisco

4. Jourdanne Lee

5. Alessia Facchin

6. Danielle Phelps

Other competitors: Lauren Dannenmiller, Phoebe Hagan, Lucia Malavaze, and Allison Testu.

Wellness International

Maybe THE most anticipated event in the pro shows male OR female, this year marks the debut of the Wellness International. This class has taken the IFBB by storm and based off the quality of competitors from its inaugural season, wellness might just be THE division of the IFBB for quite some time. Only 10 women can say they were in the first-ever Wellness International, but only one can say that she was the very-first Wellness International Champion. Everyone competing in this historic event was part of the first-ever Wellness Olympia back in September, including everyone that placed in the top 6 with the only exception being the Wellness Olympia Champion Francielle Mattos, who will not be competing at the Arnold. Based off the Olympia, Angela Borges should be the favorite, but this isn’t the Olympia and everyone has had time to improve. Two people who have improved TREMENDOUSLY since the Olympia are Dr. Sunny Andrews and Yarishna Ayala. Based off their prep files going into the Arnold, Sunny is going to come in crazier than she did at the Arnold and Yarishna learned her lesson from coming in TOO soft, which I feel costed her the Olympia crown. This one (to me) will be the hardest to predict hut here it goes…I’m going with Yarishna to win the inaugural Wellness Olympia crown, followed by Angela in 2nd, Sunny in 3rd, Isabelle in 4th, Kassandra in 5th, and Lorena to round out the top six.

PREDICTIONS:

1. Yarishna Ayala

2. Angela Borges

3. Sunny Andrews

4. Isabella Nunes

5. Kassandra Gillis

6. Lorena Ragusa

So there you have it, my predictions for the 2022 Arnold on the pro female side. I know everyone is going to have a blast with this being the first time the Arnold goes on in full since 2020 (RIGHT when everything went to hell in a hand basket..even though they still managed to have the pro events). To everyone attending, be safe not just due to COVID but be safe period. Don’t let a good time be your last. To all the competitors in a few days, best of luck to you all. You worked through the holidays to get here. Give the folks a show. The Arnold is BACK-back and the competition season is finally here! LET’S GO!!!!!

For more on the Arnold, go to their website at https://www.arnoldsportsfestival.com/. And to order the PPV (right now $24.99 but will go up to $34.99 after March 4), go to https://fanmio.com/products/arnold-sports. 

2018 Olympia Predictions

It's here. The Olympia has arrived!
Credit to the original owner

Super Bowl.
NBA Finals.
Stanley Cup Finals.
World Series.
Wrestlemania.

You haven't "made it" until you have competed in the biggest event of your profession. This weekend, the best physique athletes in the world compete in the Super Bowl of bodybuilding, The Olympia. Usually people have a good idea of who exactly will take home the titles but this year, there is a lot of mystery, especially with Oksana Grishina retiring from competing in fitness and Juliana Malacarne not defending her title this year. While this hasn't been brought up more than it has, but Nicole Wilkins for the first time in years will NOT be stepping on stage as well. Regaine Da Silva, a top fitness competitor, is also not competing at the Olympia this year.

Women's Physique Olympia
The world was shocked when Juliana Malacarne, arguably the greatest women's physique competitor of all time, decided a few weeks ago that she would not be defending her title at the Olympia, meaning we are guaranteed a new champion. Her reasons for not competing are very respectable, and as we mentioned, the direction of this division will be decided by who will walk away with the title this weekend. As of now, it seems to look like two women are the front-runners for becoming the next Ms. Physique Olympia: Shanique Grant and Natalia Coelho. Shanique will be entering her first Olympia, but this is her third time qualifying for the event. She was set to compete in 2016 but thugs not only cost her to be on the shelf for a while, but were close to ending her life. She also qualified to compete last year but she had to step out due to eye issues, thus delaying her Olympia debut. Now after winning this year's Physique International and no other obstacles in her way, she is set to make her much-anticipated Olympia debut and a huge favorite to win the biggest title in the industry. Many say it's already won...and it would be true, if Natalia wasn't competing. Natalia, like Shanique, is a competitor that has no equal. This will be her third Olympia but her first as a women's physique competitor. Mere weeks after competing at the Olympia in figure, she decided to do women's physique (with no training specifically for the division) and SMOKED the competition on the word go, qualifying her for this year's Physique Olympia event. In fact, the only contest she lost as a women's physique competitor thus far has been when she faced Shanique at the Physique International earlier this year (she placed 2nd in a close race). I'll be honest with you all, there are two showdowns here: Shanique vs Natalia for who will be the next champ and who will be runner-up, and everyone else fighting for the rest of the spots. The rest of the field is definitely not bad, it's just that Shanique and Natalia are just too damn good right now, and they have yet to reach their peak as competitors. PONDER ON THAT.

MY TOP SIX PREDICTIONS AND DARK HORSE:
1. Shanique Grant
2. Natalia Coelho
(You can easily flip these two. That's how close it will be)
3. Jennifer Taylor
4. Michalea Aycock
5. Melissa Pearo
6. Autumn Swansen
DARK HORSE: Penpraghai Tiangngok

Fitness Olympia
This is one division where, to me, there is no ONE clear-cut favorite at all, as Oksana has retired from competing. First, you got Myriam Capes, who will be entering her 10th Olympia (yes her TENTH appearance at the big one!) and will be looking to secure her spot at the best fitness competitor on the planet. She has already secured her spot at the best Canadian fitness competitor of all time with over 40 shows (which includes multiple Arnolds and Olympias) but I think she would want the Best in the World title just a bit more. Then you have Bethany Wagner, who has one of the best physiques in the fitness division as well some very entertaining routines. Ariel Khadr is considered a prodigy who has honed her physique to match (and at times surpass) her more-experienced competitors and her routines have been the highlight of many shows, and she plans on unveiling a new one this year that I'm pretty sure will steal the show, if her past routines are any indication. Jenny Worth will be returning to the Olympia stage for the first time since 2003, and she is looking better than ever before. Over the last couple of years, she has shown that she's still got it, and how big will this be to see her return to the biggest stage in the industry in nearly FIFTEEN YEARS and win it?! Kate Errington shocked the world earlier this year by coming out of nowhere and placing 2nd at the Fitness International and following that up with winning the Arnold Australia Fitness title. And speaking of the Fitness International...what about Whitney Freaking Jones, ladies and gentleman?! She won the Fitness International title practically on one leg (torn ACL/MCL) after coming back from neck fusion surgery. If you don't have her as a threat, you're crazy. The fact that someone is about to win their first Fitness Olympia title this year is gonna make the fitness division must-see this weekend. Hold on to your hats, folks, and get ready to see why competitive fitness is more alive than ever before.

MY TOP SIX PREDICTIONS AND DARK HORSE:
1. Myriam Capes
2. Whitney Jones
3. Kate Errington
4. Bethany Wagner
5. Ariel Khadr
6. Jennifer Worth
DARK HORSE: Missy Farrell

Figure Olympia
For the last couple of years, this division has been run by three women: Candice Lewis-Carter, Latorya Watts, and the current champion Cydney Gillon. This year, things are gonna be significantly different as Latorya will be at the Olympia but she will not be competing due to medical issues. She is hoping to return to the stage at some point next year. Also not competing is 4x Figure Olympia Champion Nicole Wilkins, who decided to take the entire year off of competing on stage to focus on competing in triathlons. One would assume that it will be a two-person battle between current champion Cydney and Candice, who many consider to the best to not (as of yet) win the biggest championship in pro figure. But Heather Dees MIGHT have something to say about that. Heather has come into her own over the last couple of years and has been the only woman to currently give the three ladies a run for their money. From what I have seen, I definitely see a top three finish for Heather. Ivana Ivusic is another one who is coming into her own as a competitor and could be a force to be reckoned with this weekend. Bojana (your choice for Figure Competitor of the Year) has impeccable shape and will fighting for a top 5 spot. Two newcomers I'm definitely think will turn some heads at the Olympia will be Alexia Sullivan and Felisha Livezey. Those two women have legs for days with some of the best conditioning, shape, and size I've seen on figure competitor in quite some time barring Tina Nguyen(Another one being Stacy Fujarski, who I predict will step on the Olympia stage sometime next year). And it we truly want to focus on shape, I feel Wendy Fortino SHOULD be in the top ten, but I'm not too sure how her lack of size (in comparison of most competitors) will pan out on the sport's biggest stage.

MY TOP SIX PREDICTIONS AND DARK HORSE:
1. Cydney Gillon
2. Candice Lewis-Carter
3. Heather Dees
4. Bojana Vasiljevic
5. Ivana Ivusic
6. Maria Baeza Diaz
DARK HORSE: Alexia Sullivan


Bikini Olympia
Angelica Teixeria is one of the best young athletes in the bikini division and will look to repeat as champion this weekend. Everyone that placed in the top 5 last yeat will be back to do better than they did with Angelica being the exception, as she wants to leave Vegas as a two-time champion. But two returning competitors are going to give all five of these ladies a run for their money. First up, India Paulino. After missing the Olympia stage last year due to motherhood, she has returned right where she left off, being a top star in the bikini scene and looking to win her first-ever Bikini Olympia title. Also returning is arguably THE greatest bikini competitor of all time, Ashley Kaltwasser. A 3x Bikini Olympia, she returned to the stage after taking some time off last year and is more dominant than ever before, winning all her shows that she entered in this year. While Angelica is an amazing competitor, with how India and Ashley have been able to return better than they were before, Angelica has got to be at her all-time best if she is to retain her title this weekend...and even then, I'm not sure it will be enough to stop them.

MY TOP SIX PREDICTIONS AND DARK HORSE:
1. Ashley Kaltwasser
2. Angelica Teixeria
3. India Paulino
4. Jennifer Ronzitti
5. Romina Basualdo
6. Narmin Assria
DARK HORSE: Stacy McCloud

So there you have it, my predictions for what I think will go down this weekend at the biggest show of the year for this industry. The way things have went down this year, there's a good chance that my predictions will look like garbage compared to the actual results, but honestly, I wouldn't mind that one bit. Unpredictability in life, especially in this industry, is a good and necessary thing. Competition is a great thing. And with at the very least two new champions being crowned, new stars making their debuts, and returning stars aiming to return to top form, we might be in for one of the most exciting and thrilling Olympia weekends in recent memory, at least on the female side of things. We at FitGems Nation wish every single competitor the best of luck and hope all of them bring their A-game!

This year iHerb will be sponsoring the Olympia webcast, and like it's been for the last several years, it's FREE to watch! Go to https://iherb.com/olympia for the webcast and times to watch the events. To see the list of everyone competing, go to http://www.ifbbpro.com/events/2018-joe-weiders-fitness-performance-weekend/.