Prejudging is over for Figure, Bikini, Fitness and Women’s bodybuilding. Three of the four divisions will be announced tonight, while Figure Finals will be held on Saturday.
Check out the reports below, with comments from IFBB Fitness Pro and nine-time Olympia competitor Tracey Greenwood.
FIGURE
It was billed as another chapter in the latest Nicole Wilkins vs Erin Stern saga, and the prejudging lived up the billing, as both were in the first callout – along with fast-rising Candace Keene.The judges saw enough in Wilkins and Stern to put them back in line, but kept Keene out for the second callout, meaning once again it will come down to those two for the win.
Keene will have to battle it out with Heather Dees, Teresa Anthony, Mallory Haldeman and Candace Lewis for the 3-6 spots.
See all the Figure photos here!
TRACEY GREENWOOD’S TOP PICKS
Erin Stern Beautiful shape. She came in tighter and fuller than she’s been in her past few contests. Conditioning was on. Had the right amount of muscle. Has that athleteic look. She brought it and she looked great.
Nicole Wilkins Gold suit was fabulous. Beautiful shape and structure. Could have been a little bit tighter and a little fuller. Was a little off from her best – shoulders looked like they were a little down and her back wasn’t as dense as it has been in the past.
Candice Keene Brought down the hardness in her shoulders and that was an overall better look for figure, but she was little soft in the back. Good taper, good shape. She is going to have to find the balance between being not too hard in the shoulders and tighter in the backside.
Heather Dees She lost some size in her shoulders, they were very overpowering before so it looks good. A little flat in the midsection and a tad soft in the lower body. Genetically she has a wider waist than the other top girls so when she’s not totally on condition-wise it’s even more evident.
Mallory Halderman Great young look. Brought a great look to the stage, her conditioning was very good. A little shallow in her upper back. Overall she needs a little more muscle maturity and a little more polish.
Candace Lewis The best she’s ever looked. Has a really tiny waist and her conditioning was perfect for figure. Needs to get a little wider in the back to enhance that v-taper. Another one who could use a little more muscle maturity.
Teresa Anthony Always looks beautiful. Great shape, tiny little waist. One thing that holds her back is her legs. She needs to bring them up. But her conditioning was right on.
BIKINI
We know who the top three will be, but in which order? That’s the million-dollar question from this morning, with reigning champ Nicole Nagrani, two-time runner-up Nathalia Melo and India Paulino all making their case for the top spot. Depending on how you saw it, it could go any of three ways, as each brought something different to the stage.
Dianna Dahlgren, Jamie Baird and Amanda Latona, look to be jockeying for position in the bottom half of the top six.
See all the Bikini photos here!
GREENWOOD’S TOP PICKS
India Paulino I love her look. The yellow suit was great on her. She has a great butt. I think she is the poster child for what the bikini look should be. Great personality on stage. Her conditioning is right where it should be.
Nicole Nagrani The best Nicole Nagrani we’ve seen. Her suit was great, she was tighter than she has been in the past. But next to India – Nicole was just a little too conditionined, especially in the midsection.
Nathalia Melo The best shape Nathalia has ever been in. She brought her legs down and brought her butt down. She looked very pretty. In the midsection her conditioning could have been a little too much for bikini, but overall she had a really good look.
Dianna Dahlgren Gorgeous. Great skin, great stage presence. A little too soft in the lower body and I that made her look a little in the lower half in this lineup.
Sonia Gonzales She’s clearly one of the top competitors, but she was little bit off from her best. And when she’s off her flaws really show. Her legs looked to be small but also too conditioned for bikini.
Jamie Baird Great personality on stage. I loved her suit. She was a little soft in the back and a little thick in the legs.
Amanda Latona In great shape. Her legs were very conditioned, but her hair was a little distracting. Her shape, conditioning-wise looked to be close to her best. She was doing something different with her posing and I don’t think it worked for her.
FITNESS
If there was a slam-dunk pick this weekend, smart money said it was on Adela Garcia winning her record seventh Fitness Olympia title. She left little doubt after the prejudging, as she came in what was her best shape in quite some time. The second half of the contest will be judged with tonight’s routines, but it’s hard to see anyone in this lineup standing in the way of another win for Adela.
See all the Fitness photos here!
GREENWOOD’S TOP PICKS
Adela Garcia The best I’ve seen Adela in a long time. She was beautiful. Her conditioning and her shape were perfect.
Tina Durkin Great shape and conditioning in the upper half. Her legs were a little overpowering and on the smooth side.
Tanji Johnson The best Tanji we’ve seen in a very long time. Her waist was tiny, she was conditioned, but when she stands in the lineup she doesn’t project as well she should. I think that’s due to how she ‘s posing.
Bethany Cisternino Beautiful shape, tiny waist, great shoulder-to-waist ratio. Conditionig was very good. Nice round shoulders. She’s a little shallow. Needs to have thicker muscle bellies. Needs to glamour it up a little bit somehow, there’s no real pop to her presentation.
Miriam Capes She’s improved her shape, she was very lean. Her conditioning was very good but she appeared to be a little more muscular than some of the other girls. The big thing with Miriam is her shape has always held her back, but she seems to be improving on that.
WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING
Iris Kyle returned after missing the first portion of the season, but she didn’t skip a beat in her quest for her record-tying eighth Ms. Olympia overall win. With an unbeatable combination of conditioning and fullness, tonight should be a mere formality for one of the most decorated competitors in IFBB history.
See all the Women’s Bodybuilding photos here!
GREENWOOD’S TOP PICKS
Iris Kyle She’s the clear winner. Better than she was at last year’s Olympia. I like her better with the short hair, but her conditioning was fantastic and her muscles were full.
Debbie Laszewski The clear runner up. Great conditioning. I think where Iris got her was in the upper back. Iris’ upper back so thick, everybody else looks like they’re lacking merit next to her. Debbie is a little thick in the waist, but she looked great.
Brigita Brezovac Very good conditioning. Big quads. Nice, full muscle bellies. Great shoulders. Needs to be wider in the back.
Yaxeni Oriquen Her conditioning was spot, but she’s lost muscle. In this lineup it almost made her look skinny. She has lost the sweep in her quads. Almost looked a little over dieted.
Monique Jones Great potential. Needed to be tighter. Good shape. Beautiful legs and shoulders , tiny waist.
Alina Popa Small waist, great quad sweep, good shoulders. Holding a little water but overall has a good look.
