The 2023 Bikini Olympia will be the 14th edition of the contest. It will be held as a part of the 2023 Olympia Weekend in Orlando, FL, on Nov. 2-5, 2023. This competition features the largest lineup out of all 11 IFBB Pro League divisions featured at the show.
Fifty-two athletes will face the judges at prejudging, with the top 10 advancing to the finals to crown a champion. The roster of qualified athletes is below in the order that they qualified:
2023 Bikini Olympia Roster
- Jibin Park (South Korea)
- Ivanna Escandar (Spain)
- Amanda Marques (Brazil)
- Phoebe Hagan (United Kingdom)
- Maureen Blanquisco (Norway)
- Jennifer Dorie (Canada)
- Ashley Kaltwasser (USA)
- Nittaya Kongthun (Thailand)
- Alessia Facchin (Italy)
- Lauralie Chapados (Canada)
- Brenda Farias (Brazil)
- Aimee Leann Delgado (USA)
- Eszter Ozcella (Hungary)
- Hyo Jung Kim (South Korea)
- Vania Auguste (USA)
- Romina Basualdo (USA)
- Savannah Watchman (USA)
- Zsofia Reka Molnar (Hungary)
- Elisa Pecini (Brazil)
- Sierra Swann (USA)
- Reijuana Harley (USA)
- Cristobalina Pajares (Spain)
- Eli Fernandez (Mexico)
- Jessica Wilson (USA)
- Jordan Fisher (USA)
- Jil Meret Schmitz (Thailand)
- Areum Song (South Korea)
- Lexus Redmond (USA)
- Tatiana Lanovenko (Russia)
- Dahya Jeon (South Korea)
- Ariel Barley (USA)
- Tara Grier (USA)
- Savannah Dolezal (USA)
- Gessica Brun (Brazil)
- Halanna Jully (Brazil)
- Ashlyn Little (USA)
- Jordan Brannon (USA)
- Ottavia Mazza (Italy)
- Ariana Brothers (USA)
- Maria Alexsandra Santos Rocha (Brazil)
- Yurika Shigemoto (USA)
- Tamekia Carter (USA)
- Lisa Reith (Germany)
- Daraja Hill (USA)
- Valerya Fedorenko (Ukraine)
- Reyna Perez Mecalco (Mexico)
- Jourdanne Lee (USA)
- Iulia Baba (Romania)
- Ndeye Ndour (USA)
- Kristina Brunauer (Austria)
- Jessica Nicole Dolias (USA)
- Roxana Marquez (USA)
[Related: 2023 Fitness Olympia Preview]
Maureen Blanquisco
(@maureenblanquisco.pro)[Related: 2023 Figure Olympia Preview]
How They Qualified
Previous show winners, as well as the top three from the 2022 Bikini Olympia, are automatically qualified for this contest. Other competitors earned their way to the stage by winning a pro show held throughout the season up until the qualifying cutoff on Oct. 9, 2023. The only other option is by special invite from the Olympia promoters or the IFBB Pro League. No invites are expected to be announced.
Past Champions
Four past show winners are in the lineup — the most for any division at the 2023 Olympia. Defending champion Maureen Blanquisco seeks to be the first woman to defend the title since Angelica Teixeira in 2018. 2021 champion Jennifer Dorie placed second to Blanquisco in Las Vegas, NV, and Dorie aims to reclaim the crown.
No champion has regained the title after losing it in the contest’s history. 2019 winner Elisa Pecini was the one to break Teixeira’s string of wins in 2019. Pecini will seek her second title.
Three-time Olympia champion Ashley Kaltwasser won three pro shows in 2023, increasing her record total pro wins to 41. She ranked third in the 202 Olympia. She’s the only three-time Bikini Olympia winner and wants to be the first four-time champion. Her last Olympia title was in 2015.
Notably absent from the roster is 2020 champion Janet Layug. As a former champion within the last five years, she is automatically eligible to enter. It’s the second time in the last three years that Layug hasn’t competed in the Olympia.
Top Contenders
Three top contenders stand head and shoulders above the rest. One is Lauralie Chapados, who beat Blanquisco to win the 2023 Bikini International at the Arnold Classic. Clearly, Chapados’ sights are on winning the Olympia for the first time. Daraja Hill ranked fourth in the 2022 Olympia and is likely to be compared alongside the four champions in opening callouts.
Another contender is Aimee Delgado, who won five pro shows in 2023 alone, including the 2023 Pittsburgh Pro over Kaltwasser and the 2023 New York Pro. That kind of momentum makes Delgado a serious threat. Delgado ranked sixth overall in 2022.
Dark Horses
There is only so much room in the final callouts to crown a champion, but if any of the favorites are off the mark, another competitor could climb the scorecards. Phoebe Hagan and Romina Basualdo were both in the top 10 of the 2022 Olympia and won pro shows to return to the Olympia stage.
(@phoebehagan_)Jourdanne Lee ranked 11th in that 2022 contest. She sees herself in the top 10 at the finals this time around. Yurika Shigemoto, who won two pro shows this season, Ivanna Escandar, Eli Fernandez, and Jibin Park also return, gunning for top 10 spots.
Olympia Rookies
There is usually a lot of turnover from one Olympia to another, and 2023 is no exception. Several competitors in the Bikini Olympia will make their debut on the biggest stage in the sport. Ndeye Ndour finished no lower than sixth in any of her first six pro shows since turning pro in May 2023.
Third-year pro Iulia Baba competed six times in 2023, winning the 2023 Arizona Pro to earn her way onto the Olympia stage. Savannah Watchman is a second-year pro, scoring gold at the 2023 California Night of Champions. Keep an eye on Ukraine’s Valerya Fedorenko as well. Not only did Fedorenko win two pro shows to qualify for this Olympia, but already qualified for the 2024 Olympia by winning the 2023 Fitness Authority Poland Muscle Fest Pro.
Pre-judging and finals of all 11 pro contests will be streamed live on the 2023 Olympia pay-per-view for fans who can’t be in Orlando. That pay-per-view can be purchased at the Olympia Productions website.
Featured Image: @maureenblanquisco.pro on Instagram
The post 2023 Bikini Olympia Preview appeared first on BarBend.
