Sixteen IFBB Pro League athletes representing five countries across three divisions descended on Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, for the 2024 Vancouver Island Showdown Pro show on Saturday, April 20, 2024. They all battled for the win, which earned qualification to compete at the 60th Olympia Weekend on Oct. 10-13, 2024, in Las Vegas, NV.
Three athletes reached their goal. Julia Whitesel took home the Women’s Bodybuilding title, the Women’s Physique championship went to Marianne Von Gierke, and Emily Azzarello won the Wellness title.
2024 Vancouver Island Showdown Pro Results
The full final results for all three contests are below, as shown on the IFBB Pro League website scorecards:
Women’s Bodybuilding
- Julia Whitesel (United States)
- Lena Betka (United States)
- Melanie Horton (Canada)
- Marianna Gasparyan (United States)
- Michelle Bogden (United States)
*Rebeca Roa was on the original roster to compete but was not in the lineup.
Women’s Physique
- Marianne Von Gierke (Chile)
- Julie Schultz (United States)
- Arbe Myhre (Canada)
Wellness
- Emily Azzarello (Canada)
- Jasmine Payne (United States)
- Giovanna Favero Taques Loyola (Brazil)
- Debora Paula De Oliveira (Brazil)
- Joanna Jean (Canada)
- Nicollette Burns (United States)
- Kaedi Doi (Japan)
- Pierrette Ebami (Canada)
[Related: Men’s Open Bodybuilder Hunter Labrada’s 4 Tips for Better RDLs]
[Related: Two-Time Figure Olympia Champion Erin Stern’s 5 Essential Exercises for an Aesthetic V-Taper]
Women’s Bodybuilding Winner — Julia Whitesel
This was Whitesel’s second procontest of the 2024 season; she was coming off a third-place finish at the 2024 Triple O Dynasty contest. Whitesel was the runner-up in the 2023 Vancouver Island Showdown Pro and ranked up to take the title in 2024.
This was Whitesel’s second career pro win. Her sights are now set on the 2024 Olympia with hopes of improving on her 10th place finish from the 2023 Ms. Olympia.
Women’s Physique Winner — Marianne Von Gierke
Only three athletes competed in Women’s Physique but it did not change Marianne Von Gierke’s mission to win. She scored all first-place votes on the scorecards over second-place finisher Julie Schultz and bronze medalist Arbe Myhre.
Von Gierke is in her third pro season; this was her first pro win and Olympia qualification. Should she compete and win another pro show this season, she would block the corresponding Olympia invitation. However, she can take the extended off-season to prep for her Women’s Physique Olympia debut.
Wellness Winner — Emily Azzarello
Azzarello was the lone athlete from Canada to win a contest. Like Von Gierke, Azzarello is in her third pro season, and this was her first pro win. Jasmine Payne also looked impressive in this show but settled for second. Giovanna Favero Taques Loyola of Brazil rounded out the top three.
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Featured Image: @ifbbpro_mules on Instagram
