It is a notable achievement to be Officially Amazing™ in the eyes of Guinness World Records®. Three bodybuilders grace the pages of the 2022 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records (GBWR) — Maria Wattel, Olivier Richters, and Pratik Mohite. They are not record-holders for a particular result in a specific bodybuilding contest, but rather for their statures.
Wattel and Richters, both of the Netherlands, are the tallest female and male bodybuilders in the world, respectively. Wattel stands 182.7 centimeters (five feet, 11.92 inches) and Richters stands 218.3 centimeters (seven feet, 1.9 inches). On the opposite end of the height spectrum, Pratik of India enters the GBWR as the shortest male bodybuilder in the world at a height of 102 centimeters (three feet, four inches).
2022 Guinness Book of World Records — Bodybuilders
- Tallest Female Bodybuilder — Maria Wattel, Netherlands | 182.7 centimeters (five feet, 11.92 inches), verified Jan. 15, 2021
- Tallest Male Bodybuilder — Olivier Richters, Netherlands | 218.3 centimeters (seven feet, 1.9 inches), verified April 27, 2021
- Shortest Male Bodybuilder — Pratik Mohite, India | 102 centimeters (three feet, four inches), verified Feb. 8, 2021
The height disparity between Richters and Mohite is 116.3 centimeters (three feet, 10 inches), meaning Richters is over twice as tall as Mohite.
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The 342-pound Richters was deemed a professional bodybuilder by GBWR for making his living as a bodybuilder in movies such as Black Widow, Miami Heat, Knuckledust, and The King’s Man. According to IMDB, Richters has 11 film credits at the time of this article’s publication. Per his Guinness World Records profile, the 95-pound Pratik has competed in 40 bodybuilding contests and aspires to win a Mister World championship. Of the three bodybuilders, only Wattel has an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) pro card.
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Maria Wattel’s Professional Bodybuilding Career
According to NPC News Online, Wattel’s competitive resume features three sanctioned bodybuilding contests since 2020, all in the Women’s Physique division:
- 2020 IFBB Romania Muscle Fest Pro — Eighth place
- 2021 IFBB Mr Big Evolution Pro — Seventh place
- 2021 IFBB Europa Pro Championships — 12th place
In an interview with Guinness World Records®, Wattel recounted a time earlier in her bodybuilding career where she would not receive scores from judges at competitions due to her height. She was so much taller than the other competitors that the judges were uncertain of how to properly score her physique.
I’ve had competitions where I was literally not judged [because] of something genetically I cannot control — being tall.
Wattel’s current diet consists of six meals per day with each averaging 50 grams of protein — 300 grams of protein per day.
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The 2021 Olympia contest is scheduled for Oct. 7-10, 2021, in Orlando, FL. There will be a total prize purse of $1.6 million for the professional divisions. Although not technically finalized, Wattel is not listed on the official roster of qualified athletes in the Women’s Physique division. Wattel will likely have to wait at least one more year to qualify to compete on the biggest stage in the sport, but she is the only female bodybuilder in the 2022 GBWR, which is currently available for purchase in hardcover at select retailers.
Feature image: @maria_wattel_ifbbpro on Instagram
