The Fitness division is considered by many fans as the most entertaining of all the categories at the Olympia, which is why there is so much excitement for the 2023 Fitness Olympia in Orlando, FL, on the weekend of Nov. 2-5, 2023. Fifteen athletes will face off in Physique and Routine rounds to determine who leaves the stage as the 2023 world champion. The roster of competitors is below in the order that they qualified:
2023 Fitness Olympia Roster
- Missy Truscott (USA)
- Jaclyn Baker (USA)
- Ariel Khadr (USA)
- Darrian Tissenbaum (USA)
- Oksana Grishina (Russia)
- Tiffany Chandler (USA)
- Amber Steffen (USA)
- Sara Kovach (USA)
- Jodi Boam (Canada)
- Allison Kramer (USA)
- Minna Pajulahti (Finland)
- Whitney Jones (USA)
- Michaela Pavleova (Slovakia)
- Stephanie Jones (USA)
- Taylor Learmont (Canada)
[Related: 2023 Women’s Physique Olympia Preview]
[Related: 2023 Wellness Olympia Preview]
How They Qualified
Past champions are eligible to compete for life in the division they’ve won, but past winners who haven’t won in five years must obtain permission from the IFBB Pro League to compete. The second and third-place finishers from the 2022 Olympia in Las Vegas, NV, are automatically qualified for the 2023 contest. The rest of the field is made up of pro show winners during the qualifying season, which concluded on Oct. 9, 2023.
Different Scoring
The Fitness division is judged differently than the other 10 IFBB Pro League divisions. The Physique round only counts for one-third of the overall score. The other two-thirds come from the Routine round.
A competitor doesn’t necessarily have to win the Physique round to win the contest. They can make up ground in the Routine round and win the overall contest. In the event of a tie, the competitor who ranked higher in the Routine round wins.
Past Champions
The 2023 Fitness Olympia has three past multiple-time winners in the lineup. Two-time and defending champion Missy Truscott seeks her third career title — the same number as Whitney Jones, who is also in the lineup. Jones withdrew from the 2022 Olympia due to personal health issues.
In 2021, Jones defeated then-defending champion Truscott to win her third title. Four-time champion Oksana Grishina also bowed out of the 2022 contest but will be in Orlando to attempt her fifth title.
Top Contenders
There are two contenders who fans and experts believe have the best chance of winning their first title: 2022 Olympia runner-up Jaclyn Baker and Ariel Khadr, who finished third overall in 2022.
Khadr has since won the 2023 Fitness International at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH. Baker finished that contest as the runner-up. There is a good chance these two competitors will join the previous three champions to comprise the top five.
[Related: 2023 Figure Olympia Preview]
Dark Horses
The other 10 athletes have a big mountain to climb, but anything can happen at the Olympia. Sara Kovach ranked fourth in 2022. She returns in the 2023 edition, as will 2022 seventh-place finisher Michaela Pavleova. Minna Pajulahti was eighth in Las Vegas, NV, but has since won the 2023 Masters Olympia title. She would certainly like to add the other Olympia to her mantle.
Allison Kramer is the only other top 10 finisher from the 2022 Olympia that is back this year. She was ninth one year ago. Darrian Tissenbaum will make her first appearance on the Olympia stage in two years — she was eighth in 2021. Keep a close eye on Tiffany Chandler, who made her return to the stage after a three-year absence. She has ranked as high as fifth at the Olympia.
Olympia Debuts
As is the case with every Olympia contest in Orlando, there are competitors gracing the stage for the first time in their careers. The Fitness division only has two such athletes: eight-year veteran Amber Steffen, who won the 2023 Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro, and Taylor Learmont, who won her first pro show — the 2023 Legion Sports Fest Pro — to punch her ticket to Orlando.
Fans who aren’t in the Sunshine State to watch the action in person can still catch every show live by purchasing the 2023 Olympia pay-per-view livestream on the Olympia Productions website.
Featured image: @ifbbmissytruscott on Instagram
