2023 Olympia Friday Night Results
The first day of the 2023 Olympia certainly didn’t disappoint the fans in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. On Nov. 3, the IFBB Pro League crowned Olympia champions in Fitness, Figure, Women’s Physique, the Ms. Olympia, and 212 divisions. They also kicked off prejudging for the 59th Mr. Olympia. Here’s a quick glance at what happened.
Mr. Olympia Prejudging
In spite of rumors surround the well-being of Brandon Curry, he did take the stage with the other 16 men in the Men’s Open lineup. However, he was not a factor in the final callout. Defending champion Hadi Choopan was in a serious battle with Derek Lunsford and Samson Dauda. Head judge Steve Weinberger committed the final callout to them alone with each man taking a turn at center. They are your three leaders going into the Saturday night finals.
Ms. Olympia
Andrea Shaw had no trouble holding off her opponents in the Ms. Olympia contest. With her mother in attendance, Shaw won her fourth straight Ms. Olympia, and she received the award from Ms. Olympia legends Lenda Murray and Iris Kyle. Angela Yeo finished as the runner-up in that contest for the second straight season.
- Andrea Shaw
- Angela Yeo
- Alcione Barreto
- Sharry Priami
- Natalia Kovaleva
Women’s Physique Olympia
For the first time, Bob Cicherillo didn’t announce “and still” or “and new”. Instead, he announced “and once again” for Sarah Villegas, who became the first woman to recapture the Women’s Physique Olympia after losing it. 2022 champion Natalia Coelho finished with the silver medal, and a new face joined the top three, Zana Benta.
- Sarah Villegas
- Natalia Abraham Coelho
- Zana Benta
- Brooke Walker
- Anne-Lorraine Mohn
Figure Olympia
Not much to say here. Cydney Gillon came in, dominated, and left. She is your seven-time Figure champ. 2023 Masters Olympia winner Jessica Reyes Padilla put up a valiant battle, but it wasn’t enough. Canadian Lola Montez was in the top three for the second straight year.
- Cydney Gillon
- Jessica Reyes Padilla
- Lola Montez
- Cherish Richardson
- Natalia Soltero
Fitness Olympia
In an unfortunate circumstance, both defending Ms. Fitness Olympia Missy Truscott and three-time champion Whitney Jones suffered injuries during their routine rounds, which kept them from winning this show. The legend herself, Oksana Grishina, managed to leave the stage as the five-time champion. Special shout out to Canada’s own Taylor Gearmont, who made her debut and finished in second place. Jaclyn Baker rounded out the top three.
- Oksana Grishina
- Taylor Gearmont
- Jaclyn Baker
- Ariel Khadr
- Whitney Jones
Wellness Olympia
Francielle Mattos and Isabelle Nunes had the closest battle of the day, with only one point sepearating them in the Wellness Olympia. However, the champ managed to hold on to her title for the third straight year, while Nunes now has consecutive runner-up finishes.
- Francielle Mattos
- Isabelle Nunes
- Elisa Alcantara
- Rayane Fogal
- Gisele Machado
Olympia 212
The upset of the night came in the 212 division because we have a new world champion. Keone Pearson upset defending champ Shaun Clarida to win his first Olympia championship. Clarida finishes in second and has yet to defend a title successfully. Taking the bronze medal was Angel Calderon Frias.
- Keone Pearson
- Shaun Clarida
- Angel Calderon Frias
- Kerrith Bajjo
- Ahmad Ashkanani
Saturday Events
The finals of the Mr. Olympia as well as both rounds of Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Wheelchair, and Bikini will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4. Muscle Insider will have you covered until the lights go out in the Orange County Convention Center.