The newest division added to the Olympia weekend lineup was the Wellness division, added at the 2021 Olympia in Orlando, FL. The new division was met with great support from fans, and the division grew in 2022 as more athletes entered the fray to compete.
At the 2021 Olympia, the contest featured one round in Orlando, FL, held during the day at the Olympia Expo. This year, the contest feature two rounds of judging, and the finals will be held on the main stage on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, in the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas, NV. The second Wellness Olympia contest has 39 qualified athletes — an increase from the 20 who qualified for the 2021 contest. The qualified competitors are listed below in alphabetical order:
2022 Wellness Olympia Roster
- Marissa Andrews
- Sunny Andrews
- Maria Paulette Aranguren
- Yarishna Ayala
- Joy A. Bey
- Angela Borges
- Amanda Burnett
- Devyn Cambre
- Diana Laura Verduzco Carreno
- Mari Carvalho
- Barbara Cesar
- Julia Chitarra
- Leonida Ciobu
- Casey DeLong
- Juliana Mota Esteso
- Kassandra Gillis
- Renee Harshey
- Michelle Ibata
- Daisha Johnson
- Giselle Machado
- Carina Marques
- Devone Martin
- Francielle Mattos
- Lisa Meiswinkel
- Anna Mroczkowska
- Mallory Myers
- Isabelle Nunes
- Jasmine Payne
- Kelly Purcell
- Jacqueline Huescas Rios
- Rayane Fogal de Souza Santana
- Synara Santana
- Isamara Santos
- Nadia Moreira Santos
- Bruna Seredich
- Andreia Gadelha Da Silva
- Hannah Son
- Catarina de Sousa
- Nerilde Garcia Strey
[Related: The Return of the Masters Olympia Scheduled for Aug. 25-27, 2023, in Romania]
About Wellness
Some fans may not be as familiar with this women’s division as they would be a longer-standing division such as Fitness or Figure. Wellness athletes have more developed lower bodies, with emphasis on the glutes and thighs. They should be lean but not completely ripped as someone would be in Women’s Open bodybuilding.
Wellness athletes’ upper bodies should be lean with developed muscle, but they don’t need to worry as much about size. Some experts compare the upper bodies of Wellness athletes to those that compete in the Bikini division.
Defending Champion
The Wellness division has only had one Olympia, so there’s only one champion, and that is Francielle Mattos of Brazil. Only one round was scored in 2021, but Mattos received a perfect score. So, the judges had no issues determining a winner.
Mattos hasn’t competed in 2022 but feels confident she will defend her title successfully. She isn’t necessarily a lock to repeat in 2022 because her contenders have won or earned Olympia qualifying points through pro contests this season. Winning a second title is definitely a possibility, but Mattos has a difficult challenge ahead of her.
Top Contenders
The second-place finisher to Mattos at the 2021 Olympia was Angela Borges. She can claim to be the number one contender, but so can the 2021 third-place finisher, Isabelle Nunes, who won the Wellness International title at the 2022 Arnold Classic in March. Nunes defeated Borges, who also finished second at that contest in Columbus, OH. It is likely that Nunes and Borges will be in the first callout with Mattos, and the judges may put both in the center during prejudging to help determine who has the best physique on contest day. Expect the fans to be vocal in support of their favorites.
Another popular athlete to watch is Sunny Andrews. She placed sixth in the 2021 Olympia but took third place at the 2022 Wellness International. She won both the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro and 2022 New York Pro Wellness titles.
Andrews had over six months to prepare for the Olympia, and there is a chance she will finish higher this year than she did in 2021. Andrews has been working with coach George Farah to maximize her lower body definition to stand out in a competitive lineup.
Yarishna Ayala is one of the most popular athletes in the division. She has the credentials of a contender for the title as well. She won the 2022 Boston Pro in March and placed fifth at the Wellness International. She had two pro wins in 2021 and a top-four finish at last year’s Olympia. Her fans will be loud in Las Vegas. Ayala has a well-developed upper back, which could catch the judges’ eyes in the callouts.
No list of contenders for the title is complete without Julia Chitarra. The fifth-place finisher from 2021 won the 2022 Musclecontest Rio Pro to return to the Olympia this year. Chitarra placed fourth in the Wellness International and boasted bronze-medal finishes in Boston and Pittsburgh.
[Related: WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair Places First in Wellness at the 2022 WBFF Atlantic City ProAm]
New Contenders
Because this is a young and growing division, some new athletes are in this year’s Olympia lineup. A first-time competitor will be Joy A. Bey, a rookie that already has two top-three placings in 2022 — third in the Mexico Grand Battle Pro and a win at the 2022 World Klash contest.
Isamara Santos could be an X-factor in this contest. She is a rookie but won the Chicago Pro to qualify for the Olympia. Her showing had many speculating about a top-five finish at the Olympia. It will be interesting to see is compared with any of the top finishers from one year ago.
Dark Horses
Other athletes to watch in this year’s competition are Isamara dos Santos, who was in seventh place last year, 2021 Olympia eighth-place finisher Bruna Seredich, and 2022 Monsterzym Pro winner Hannah Son in her Olympia debut. Other top 15 finishers from 2021 who are returning to this year’s Olympia include Barbara Cesar (10th), Kassandra Gillis (11th), Renee Harshey (13th) — who holds the distinction of winning the first ever pro Wellness show, the 2020 Tampa Pro — and Devyn Cambre (14th), who won the 2022 Texas Pro to punch her Olympia ticket for the first time.
The 2022 Olympia Weekend will feature 11 pro divisions, and they will stream all competitions on both days (Dec. 16 and 17) on pay-per-view. The premium package that includes both contest days is available for $59.99. You can order the pay-per-view at the Olympia Productions website.
Featured Image: @franciellemattos on Instagram