The huge Olymp
ia Weekend on September 18-21 is now a part of bodybuilding lore and tradition, and the Women's Bodybuilding division once again chipped in with a flair for creating an ongoing re-writing of its own history. Of course the major story came by way of the fact that this year's Olympia was the 50th anniversary of an event that has long been recognized as the premier showcase for the finest physiques in the world. NBC had even jumped on board to televise the Mr. Olympia on this special weekend.
And within the 50th anniversary celebration, women's bodybuilding was, itself, holding a 35th annual Ms. Olympia contest that had been inaugurated in 1980 with Rachel McLish as its first winner. Meanwhile, the cast of characters this year made for a precedent-setting contest that left many fans as well as the cognoscenti of the sport shaking their collective heads in wonderment. And as an additional historic note, this was the first time at the Ms. Olympia that the women's bodybuilding field contained more competitors from foreign countries than from the USA.
Staged again in Las Vegas for the 15th consecutive year – and at the Orleans Arena since 2006 – uber promoter Robin Chang crafted yet another mindboggling festival of muscle that continues to be an annual pilgrimage for those who seek to gaze upon the most impressive bodies on the planet – both male and female.
Iris Kyle Leads Women Making History
The big news of course was Iris Kyle winning her unprecedented tenth Ms. Olympia title. After her ninth win last year she distanced herself from the legendary trio of Ronnie Coleman, Lee Haney and Lenda Murray – all of whom had won eight Sandow trophies. Now with her tenth win, it is difficult to imagine another bodybuilder – male or female – surpassing that number. Even more mind-numbing is the reality that Kyle has never spoken of a future retirement date. So the tenth win could conceivably extend to 11 and beyond assuming a mega-challenger puts the brakes on Kyle's run.
The field of competitors in this class again numbered 13 as it has for the two previous years. And if anyone considers that number unlucky, Kyle would only smile. This year's competition featured all the usual suspects, and in some ways the final results were predictable. But it also became a numbers game that offered up some pretty amazing stats. Stats for the ages.
As if Kyle's ten Ms. Olympia titles didn't grab a brass ring for an astounding accomplishment, veteran Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia contributed her fair share of truly remarkable efforts herself. Most close followers of the Ms. Olympia contest were aware of Yaxeni competing this year in her 17th Ms. Olympia – an impressive number indeed – one which has only been approached by a small handful of male and female Olympians.
Even more remarkable is the fact that she accomplished the 17 Ms. O's consecutively from 1998 to present. Yaxeni turned pro in 1994, and as a tribute to her perseverance, it's stunning to realize she didn't win her first pro show until 2002 – a period of nine years. But when she did win that first event it was the prestigious Ms. International and she was off and running. Winning the 2005 Ms. O, Yaxeni has been chasing Kyle ever since, but always with solid top-five placings.
Perhaps most remarkable is the fact that since turning pro 20 years ago, she has competed in 52 pro contests which includes 16 Ms. Internationals, three of which she won outright. Think of it. FIFTY-TWO pro contests, 52 contest preps. And none of this takes into account her amateur years where she was winning Venezuelan national titles, the Ibero-American Championships, the South American Championships, etc. All this and she's 48 years of age.
This year, at 5’7”, 160 pounds (down nearly 10 pounds from where she has competed in past years) Yaxeni was off her usual sterling condition, lacking some of the sharpness and tightness – as well as size – in her glutes and hamstrings that have always been part of her arsenal of strengths. Still, she finished up with a fifth-place finish and a $3,000 paycheck. The numbers she has put up in her long and distinguished career may never be approached. And we haven't heard that Yaxeni Milagros Oriquen Perez Garcia is ready to step aside from the competitive stage in the immediate future.
As for Iris Kyle, her numbers, along with the 10 Ms. Olympia titles are also memorable. With Kyle showing no signs of hanging up her competition suit, she has competed in 16 Ms.O's… nine of which have been victories in succession.
NINE IN A
ROW
This year's contest marked ten years since Kyle won her first Olympia in 2004, but since 2006 she's never left the winner's circle. With the Ms. International being unceremoniously cancelled earlier this year, Kyle will stand as the winningest competitor in that event as well – chalking up seven titles.
More importantly, Kyle also won both the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia in the same year seven times – a feat only Yaxeni Oriquen Garcia (once in 2005) and Kim Chizevsky (once in 1996) achieved. The accomplishment of winning both of those prestigious events in the same year speaks even more loudly of Kyle's stunning dominance over the years.
This year in a pre-contest interview, Kyle was asked about her proposed contest weight. Her response was matter-of-fact. “I will be 160 pounds, not a pound more, not a pound less.” For those who have been used to seeing Kyle in a ultra-chiseled state of condition from head to toe, this year's version was just slightly off, but she was far from leaving the door open for a challenger to step up to wrest her of the crown. Iris Kyle is still Iris Kyle, and knocking her off her perch will take some doing. But her ability to put away yet another Ms. O victory again points to just how overpowering her presence is on a bodybuilding stage.
This year was also significant in Iris Kyle's career. She first competed in 1994, winning the overall Long Beach Muscle Classic that year. By 1998 she was busy winning the HW and overall titles at the NPC USA to turn pro.
As a side note, my most memorable moment in watching Iri
s compete all these years had nothing to do with any of the titles she won, but one she didn't. In 1999 Iris made her pro debut at the Ms. International – a lofty event to get her pro feet wet indeed. Things didn't go as she'd planned… to say the least. I happened to be standing at the foot of the steps as the competitors came off stage at the evening show. Iris was not in the top five, nor the top ten. She had finished 15th. As she passed by me, with one of the most searing looks I have ever encountered in a female bodybuilder she whispered, “THAT, will never happen again." A quick perusal of her stunning contest history proves her right.
In winning, Kyle accepted a check for $22,000, and more Olympia hardware, plus the knowledge that she is without argument, the most successful bodybuilder (in terms of contest victories) in the history of the sport.
With a first call-out in the preliminaries, Iris Kyle and Yaxeni Oriquen Garcia were also accompanied by veteran Debi Laszewski, Brazil's Anne Freitas, newbie Alana Shipp and the rapturous Romanian Alina Popa. Six contestants to be considered for the top five spots. Those top five spots became even more significant as they would serve to automatically qualify the quintet for next year's Ms. Olympia. Who might be left out? Who might be added?
For the second straight year popular Alina Popa was picked by contest prognosticators as the man challenger to Kyle's thrown. Since 2011 Popa has made steady improvement in her physique placing 5th in '11, 4th in '12 and 2nd last year. At 5’7” and weighing 167 for this event she looked impressive standing next to Kyle. The seven pounds gave Popa what could be considered an equalizer in side-by-side comparisons.
As an IFBB World Amateur champion in 2008, Popa has always showed a beautifully proportioned structure with a musculature that shows a pleasing shape and volume. So far, at least, it was only her lack of the necessary hardness possessed by Kyle to make a serious run for the title. For many observers, Popa's look was even preferred. This year she made her best effort to date, and at the evening show she was matching Kyle in several poses. But it seemed to be Kyle's remarkable back double biceps poses that pointed to what could be perceived as a weak point in Popa's overall muscular display.
Make no m
istake, Alina Popa represents a stunning look that has drawn a large fan following, but the unenviable task of judges was to find the physique that showed the fewest flaws. And this time it was once again Iris Kyle who held off Popa's challenge in the battle for the top spot. The only question now would be whether Popa will decide to make an annual run at challenging Kyle.
Three hundred and sixty-five days can be a long wait. If there is anyone who can be sympathetic to Popa's plight of finishing in the bridesmaid position it would be the legendary Laura Creavalle. During her career that included 13 trips to the Ms. O, she finished second to Lenda Murray twice, and more than once she was referred to as an uncrowned Ms. Olympia.
Finishing third was Debi Laszewski. It's a placing she is all too familiar with. A blue collar personality when it comes to training and competing, she has managed to improve with every outing. Before this event she revealed she would weigh 148 pounds and be the leanest she's ever been. Without question she looked on point. And over the past few years she has kept herself in the hunt with her ongoing improvements. In 2009 she was 3rd at the Ms. O. In 2010 she placed 3rd at both the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia. And last year she also finished
3rd at the Ms. O.
In 2012 Laszewski came tantalizingly close with a runner-up finish to Kyle. In an eight-year pro career, this is her sixth Ms. O and she's never finished lower than fourth. That's flexing in pretty good company. She's also been competing for 20 years, dating back to her early amateur days in her home state of Wisconsin. She is yet another glowing example of the resilience in the women who inhabit the highest levels of the sport. Said one observer at last year's Ms. O, “Debi is the reason I began to follow women's bodybuilding. She's a flat out great looking woman with muscle. How could you not like her look?”
As almost always happens, someone flies under the radar at a contest… someone who becomes the surprise of the show. But flying under the radar is doubly hard when it comes to the Ms. Olympia, considering how hard it is just to get to this level. So, Alana Shipp is your card-carrying member of the 'under the radar club' for this year's Ms. O. Her story is crazy when you look at the overall picture. She's only been competing since 2012 and her contest efforts can be counted on one hand. As the overall winner of the NPC Nationals last year, her pro debut and one other event in 2014 is her sum total of pro experience. Those events include a runner-up finish at the Toronto Super Show and a fifth-place spot at the Omaha Pro.
Shipp qualified for the Olympia on the points system, so wagering that she would crack the top five would have been an extraordinary longshot at best. Yet, ther
e she was in the first call-out surrounded by legends of the sport – the best of the best. There she was looking balanced, proportionate, and in great condition, leaving many wondering where she came from. And the fact that she had been living in Israel while her husband worked there is another story in itself. No matter, the judges picked her up on the radar, brought her out in the first callout. She was in the thick of the event, and not just as an afterthought. Alana Shipp would finish fourth… six points ahead of Yaxeni Oriquen Garcia.
Someone called her a 'Pocket Kyle'. A compliment she probably would have been flattered by. No doubt she hasn't had time to reflect on what she accomplished yet, but it's pretty heavy stuff in this day and age, long journeys to the Olympia by way of women's bodybuilding. She was, indeed, Shipp shape, and not bad for a girl who began weight training because she desperately wanted to lose weight.
Outside The Top Five… and Back To The Points Qualification Drawing Board
6- Anne Freitas, Brazil 57
7- Sheila Bleck, USA 65
8- Jennifer Sedia, USA 81
9- Rita Bello, Argentina 86
10- Margie Martin, USA 105
11- Christine Envall, Australia 109
12- Lisa Giesbrecht, Canada 119
13- Simone Oliveira, Brazil 126
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