Out of the 11 pro divisions competing at the 2022 Olympia Weekend on Dec. 16-17 in Las Vegas, NV, the Bikini division has the largest field of any women’s division. Fifty-eight athletes will take the Expo stage at the Venetian to face the judges and fans in attendance. Those competitors represent 25 different countries. The full roster of qualified athletes for the 2022 Bikini Olympia is below in alphabetical order:
2022 Bikini Olympia Roster
- Susana Aramayo
- Vania Auguste
- Aleksandra Banda
- Romina Basualdo
- Maureen Blanquisco
- Jordan Brannon
- Kristina Brunauer
- Shenese Case
- Lauralie Chapados
- Aimee Leann Delgado
- Elizaveta Dementeva
- Jennifer Dorie
- Marie-Eve Duchesneau
- Lawna Dunbar
- Ivanna Escandar
- Alessia Facchin
- Valerya Fedorenko
- Eli Fernandez
- Jordan Fisher
- Yan Gao
- Wiktoria Gasior
- Maia Gordon
- Phoebe Hagan
- Brittany Hamilton
- Stine Hansen
- Daraja Hill
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Sally-Anne Kato
- Hayeun Kim
- Janet Layug
- Jourdanne Lee
- Ashlyn Little
- Lucia Malavaze
- Roxana Marquez
- Ottavia Mazza
- Reyna Perez Mecalco
- Gabriella Mohamed
- Eszter Oczella
- Jibin Park
- India Paulino
- Elisa Pecini
- Danielle Phelps
- Shelby Pierce
- Jennifer Ronzitti
- Alexandria Ross
- Jil Meret Schmitz
- Bola Seo
- Yurika Shigemoto
- Cristiane Silveira
- Rukiye Solak
- Erin Stern
- Francesca Stoico
- Sierra Swann
- Allison Testu
- Jessica Wilson
- Cheuk Nam Karen Yuen
- Jodie Yuncker
- Laura Ziv
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Past Champions
Besides having the biggest lineup at the Olympia, the Bikini contest also has the most previous winners out of all 11 divisions. The defending champion is Jennifer Dorie, who won the title at the 2021 Olympia in Orlando, FL. The native of Canada now calls Las Vegas home, which gives her the advantage of not having to travel and make accommodations for the Olympia. She gets to sleep in her own bed and has home-field advantage.
2020 winner Janet Layug was out of the 2021 Olympia, but she defeated Dorie to win her title. This will be the first rematch between them since then. Layug competed this season, placing third in both Pittsburgh and New York.
The 2019 champion was Elisa Pecini, who was fifth in the 2021 competition. She has three top-four finishes in 2022 and plans to present her best physique of the season alongside the other champions with hopes of claiming a second Olympia title.
Then, there’s Ashley Kaltwasser, who is considered by many to be the greatest champion in the division’s history. Kaltwasser has three Olympia titles to her credit and placed third in 2021. She racked up seven wins in her 11 pro contest appearances this season. Kaltwasser hasn’t won the Olympia since 2014, but she is considered a top contender based on her longevity and success this season.
Top Contenders
In spite of all the previous winners being in this show, Lauralie Chapados could knock Dorie off as the best Bikini competitor in the world. Chapados was the runner-up to Dorie in 2021 and won three of three contests in 2022. Her year started with a victory at the 2022 Bikini International during the Arnold Classic weekend. She then won the Pittsburgh Pro and New York Pro titles. Her fans feel it’s a matter of “when” Chapados will win the Olympia, and they will be loud during pre-judging and the finals in support of her finally claiming the one title that has eluded her.
A previous top contender who has been out of the spotlight is India Paulino. Paulino started a family and pursued other interests but returned to the stage in 2022, placing in the top five of four shows, including winning the 2022 Battle of the Bodies, promoted by Layug. That win granted Paulino an Olympia qualification, a contest she last appeared at in 2018. Paulino is a three-time Bikini International winner and former Olympia top three finisher.
Maureen Blanquisco was the fourth-place finisher in 2021. She could be the breakout star of this division. She placed second to Chapados in the Bikini International and was the 2022 Boston Pro winner. It would be a nice feather in her cap if she were to knock off any of the previously mentioned contenders and be compared to Dorie for a top-two finish. Her physique is certainly capable of making that happen.
Last but not least is Daraja Hill, who placed sixth in this contest in 2021. She won the Texas Pro to qualify for the 2022 Olympia and was credited with being her best ever by experts at the show. She shouldn’t be ignored when comparisons are made.
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Dark Horses
The judges could call a few athletes out and knock some of the favorites down the placings, including a former Olympia champion. Erin Stern is a two-time Figure Olympia champion but transitioned to Bikini in 2021. She was 15th in her first Bikini Olympia but won the 2022 Republic of Texas to return to the Olympia in 2022. She’s had a full year to train specifically for Bikini, so expect a better version of Stern in Las Vegas than one year ago in Orlando.
Romina Basulado is a former New York Pro winner and placed eighth at the 2021 Olympia. She is the 2022 Atlantic Coast Pro champion and was fourth in Tampa over the summer of 2022. A top-10 finish for the Argentina native would be a spectacular way to end the year and prepare for 2023.
Lucia Malavaze was in 10th place at the 2021 Olympia and scored two victories in 2022. She won the Shawn Ray Hawaiian Classic and the Optimum Classic Pro. She was seventh in the Bikini International and would like to improve upon her 2021 Olympia result.
New Contenders
A few new stars will be on the Olympia stage for the first time in 2022, including Jodie Yuncker, who qualified on points. Laura Ziv of France will also make her Olympia debut thanks to her win at the 2022 1BroPro show. Danielle Phelps has been a pro since 2016 but will also grace the Olympia stage for the first time after winning the 2021 Toronto Pro. The 2022 Tahoe Pro winner, Shelby Pierce, will also be in the Olympia lineup for the first time.
The 2022 Olympia Weekend will be streamed live on pay-per-view, courtesy of Olympia Productions. You can go to www.olympiaproductions.com to pre-order the Premium package that covers all rounds of competition for $59.99. Stay tuned to BarBend for coverage of the Olympia throughout the weekend.
Featured Image: @jenniferdorie_ifbbpro on Instagram
