2019 Women's Olympics Predictions: High Stakes Vegas Poker
The nibble order matters in bodybuilding and, accordingly, in fitness, figure, bikini and physique. After the judges place you where you like them, you rise only when the athlete in front of you does not participate in the competition. Yes, that’s how it works – except when it’s not.
Just ask those who said Phil Heath would win his eighth Mr. Olympia title in 2018. Or those who believed that three-time champion Ashley Kaltwasser could not lose in a bikini in 2016. For those who impede IFBB's perfect professional competition — Fitness, Bodybuilding, Bikini, and Women's Physics Olympics — the point is to find out who will hold them and who will drop them at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Orleans Arena 13 and September 14th.
Here's a summary of the players coming to the Vegas table:
Fitness Olympia: even hand
Last year's champion and runner-up Whitney Jones and Riyal Graber, respectively, returned to the table with a bunch of chips in front of them. With a third streak of Miriam Cape skipping the show, a second win for Jones would not be a shock. However, the duo has an equal balance of talents – Graber returned to beat Jones at Arnold Classic Fitness International in 2019 last March – and any of them could win the bank.
Jones' powerful, evenly developed physique usually gets an advantage, but this contest will be won in a routine where judges love both of them. My money on Grabber prevails. She will leave the competition after this season, and this gave her something else, something that put her in first place in the International.
Who is next in the Pecking Order?
The absence of wraps leaves a place in the holy three. Two names come to mind: Missy Farrell and Tiffany Chandler. Farrell won a big victory at the Legion Sports Fest last fall, finishing fourth in Olympia. She's in good shape and generally feels good in her physique round, but I like Chandler’s routine skills that allowed her to rise one third ahead of Farrell at 2019 International International. I think they will be repeated on the third and fourth here.
Playing for the winner circle
The first five will be automatically retrained for Olympia 2020, and a number of candidates can get this sweet fifth place. Darrian Borello, sixth last year, takes advantage in libel. She is a solid performer who has risen in the standings over the past few years, and she certainly deserves it.
Can make a cut
Seventeen women were selected for the 2019 Fitness Olympics, and any other can break through. Janine Taddeo won the Arizona Pro in August 2018 and has since been waiting to show her things to O. Her evil routine skills make Taddeo an athlete who is likely to go out of nowhere and earn a place in the winner’s circle.
I liked the routine of Jacqueline Baker more than the judges last year, but I bet she will get love to finish higher than the 10th time this time, maybe even enough to take her fifth or sixth place.
Kate Errington, who lost popularity in her performance at Olympia in 2018, returned this year to earn a spot in the squad in a difficult way: wearing glasses. Her dramatic routines always attract attention, so don't count her.
Another athlete you don't want to lose sight of is the early 2000s fitness star Jenny Worth, who retired two years ago and got eighth place last year.
Figure Olympia: card shark returns to the table
With the resignation of Candice Lewis Carter, runner-up in 2019, two-time quarterback Sidney Gillon had to hold all the cards. Gillon’s victory at the International only strengthened her position as the number one athlete in the world. With her hourglass shape and perfect preparation, she has no equal in the current scene and should get her third title.
But wait. And here is Latoria Watts, two-time Olympic champion who lost to Gillon in 2017. Watts is the creator of the extreme X-frame, which dominated among professionals in recent years, but last year she took off due to illness. If someone can stop Gillon's running, it's Watts, and the voltage will be high when they stand side by side in comparison. However, don't be surprised if Watts has to settle for a second again.
Who is next in the Pecking Order?
If all of the above is confirmed, Nadia Wyatt will be repeated in third place. Watts looked great, taking second place before Gillon in the International Figure Championship, where she was slimmer than the champion, but she can not compare with Gillon when it comes to upper body size and flow.
Playing for the winner circle
Twenty-five athletes qualified for the 2019 Olympics, but women who finish fourth and fifth — and will receive the last two automatic qualifications for 2020 Olympia — must be from the next group. They are, as a rule, of a sports physique, which are not as large as those mentioned above, but managed to rise above the level on several large shows.
Jessica Reyes Padilla, who finished fourth last year, is next in the line of succession, but Carly Starling Horrell (fifth in 2018) can finish ahead of her if she brings her strong physique to the stage just right. Natalia Soltero and Boyana Vasilievich (fourth and fifth at the International respectively) are able to bring a package that will also appeal to the judges.
Can make a cut
In addition, on my radar for a possible finish in the top five European winner Dallas Sandra Grales and Lola Montes, who won on Land Murray Pro. Montes has just begun to gain momentum as an athlete and may be a wild card in this lineup.
Bikini Olympia: sold out
Two-time defense champion Angelica Teixeira wants three times, and she probably has a winning combination. The judges' preference for Teixeira's brand and physique has become apparent since she came out on top in the lineup in 2017, and she has two Bikini International titles to prove it. In addition, she grew up in confidence and began to play on stage during her reign as a champion.
Who is next in the Pecking Order?
No one, really. The ratings in bikinis are variable, and Teixeira's victories were the only permanent, and each time they took different places. Lorali Chapados appeared out of nowhere to take second place in 2018, but my money was on Janet Laiug to finish ahead of her. Laiyuga's body is still screaming amazingly awesome when she just faces the judges, and she is hot again after her victory in the 2019 International Bikini, where Teixeira did not compete. If she looks like this in Vegas, Leiug could challenge the title.
Playing for the winner circle
My note on Chapados from O 2018: “A bit thin, but a great derrier.” She sank to sixth place in the International, but she is in the process of development and is still a good choice for the finish in the top three if she can regain her fitness.
Next is Eliza Pechini, the fourth painting of 2018. Thanks to her slim appearance and tiny waistline, the last time Pecini caught my attention, and I see how it repeats.
Jennifer Ronzitti finished second at Olympia 2017, then dropped to sixth (you know what I mean by liquid?). Her victory at the Chicago Pro in July suggests that she returned her mojo. Ronzitti will have to fight for the fifth with three-time Olympic champion Ashley Kaltwasser, who was fifth last year and third in the International. Kaltwasser can finish in third place, but she can not keep Teixeira in the second, three-time championship.
Can make a cut
Several of the top 25 bikini athletes who qualified for Olympia could lower the aforementioned athletes to sixth or below. Priscilla Leimbacher, who won the Pittsburgh Pro, scored the most points in the free bikini qualification race. She is not as torn (for a bikini) as Pecini and some others, but with enviable balanced bends crowned with perfect shoulders, Leimbacher could easily make the first cry.
Also, watch out for the Toronto Super Show champion Ethyl Santiago Santos, who has twists and a view to move to the highest level if she nails it in Vegas.
Female Olympia physique: four aces
Shanik Grant is a once-a-generation bodybuilder. I could say that last year, but she was only at the beginning of her run at the top, and this should continue as she fights for her second female Olympia physical crown. Grant received this X-frame for the judging prize on the figure, transferred to the next level, with shape, balance and excellent flow of body parts. Despite fierce competition from Natalia Abraham Coelho, the second last year, Grant has to clear up the chips again.
Who is next in the Pecking Order?
Grant took the prerogative of the champion for one year between the Olympics, leaving Coelho to restore order in the International Women's Physique. She is an easy choice for a second in O. Both women are aged 20 and have a long career path. Coelho has improved his balance and continues to pursue his opponent with the help of sizes and conditions, but as long as Grant brings the package that the judges love to the stage, Coello will not be enough to overtake her.
Playing for the winner circle
Daniel Castillo really tried to finish third at the 2018 Olympics and took a year to prepare for this. She has a slimmer physique, but with a good shape and some muscles of choice, and she could do it again. The same applies to last year's fourth figure of Jennifer Taylor, who has size, symmetry and balance and is more than familiar with the winner’s circle.
Moisturizing Queen Heather Grace is a first five veteran. She was fifth last year and this time was supposed to finish at least that high.
Can make a cut
20 athletes qualified for the Physical Olympics in 2019 bring a ton of dimensions, shape and symmetry to the scene. Brittany Watts, who took fourth place in the International, has every chance to become a top group if it becomes more acute, but my money is for Sheila Black to debunk prevailing wisdom.
The bodybuilding champion, known for her excellent posture exercises – she was twice in second place at the Rising Phoenix World Championships – Black surprised everyone by taking part in the physique and soaring ahead of 42 others in her Tampa Pro debut. This is often an unsuccessful strategy – when female bodybuilders lose weight and shrink to compete in physique or body shape, but Black easily convinced the judges of her transformation, and I see her posing in the top five on O.
Did I miss someone? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Please note that all the athletes mentioned should have been competing at the time of writing.
All photos are courtesy of NPC News Online.