It’s hard to imagine Olympia weekend without the now-infamous Bikini Division, which rewards beauty, poise, and intense muscular conditioning in women. But before 2010, women’s competitors had three divisions to compete in — Bodybuilding, Figure, and Fitness.
To broaden the competitive pool and create a broader range of physiques, the Olympia introduced the Bikini Division in 2010. Twelve years later, it’s one of the most popular divisions in the sport; 35 women stood on stage at the Orlando Convention Center for the 2021 Olympia, more than any other division.
Nine women have stood on the stage as the champion, with only two having won it more than once. Here’s a look back at every winner over the contest’s history.
Bikini Olympia Winners
- Sonia Gonzalez (2010)
- Nicole Nagrani (2011)
- Nathalia Melo (2012)
- Ashley Kaltwasser (2013-2015)
- Courtney King (2016)
- Angelica Teixeira (2017-2018)
- Elisa Pecini (2019)
- Janet Layug (2020)
- Jennifer Dorie (2021)
Note: Official results are pulled from NPC News Online and the official Olympia website.
Sonia Gonzalez (2010)
Among the favorites to win the inaugural Bikini Olympia was Nathalia Melo, Jamie Baird, and the popular Amanda Latona. However, “Sonia Gonzalez” will forever follow “who is” if Jeopardy ever gets their act together and adds a Bikini Olympia category.
- Sonia Gonzalez
- Nathalia Melo
- Nicole Nagrani
- Jaime Baird
- Amanda Latona
- Alison Rosen
- Shelsea Montes
- Monique Ricardo
- Dianna Dahlgren
- Dina Al-Sabeh
- Natalie Pennington
- Jessica Paxson Putnam
- Vanessa Campbell
- Missy Coles
- Sherlyn Roy
Nicole Nagrani (2011)
With a year of growth and a strong fanbase supporting the division, the 2011 Bikini Olympia was met with great excitement in Las Vegas, NV. Gonzalez had hoped to become the first two-time champion at that contest, but Nagrani had made significant improvements in conditioning and became the second champion. Notably, Gonzalez dropped to fifth place.
- Nicole Nagrani
- Nathalia Melo
- Dianna Dahlgren
- Jaime Baird
- Sonia Gonzalez
- India Paulino
- Alison Rosen
- Julianna Daniell
- Abigail Burrows
- Justine Munro
- Diana Graham
- Natalie Pennington
- Christina Vargas
- Vanessa Prebyl
- Cristina Vujnich
Nathalia Melo (2012)
It’s hard to imagine hearing “and new” with not one but two previous champs returning to the stage. But Nathalia Melo was sick of silver and, in 2012, traded up for gold. Nagrini dropped to second, and India Paulino took bronze.
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- Nathalia Melo
- Nicole Nagrani
- India Paulino
- Dianna Dahlgren
- Jamie Baird
- Sonia Gonzalez
- Amanda Latona
- Justine Munro
- Yeshaira Robles
- Jennifer Andrews
- Marcela Tribin
- Tiffany Marie Boydston
- Pollianna Moss
- Juliana Daniell
- Tawna Eubanks
Ashley Kaltwasser (2013, 2014, 2015)
Here’s some fun trivia: Aside from the first Mr. Olympia contest, no man has ever won the Olympia on his first try. However, two women have achieved this feat. Cory Everson won her first Ms. Olympia in her debut appearance at the 1984 contest. Ashley Kaltwasser made her Olympia debut at the 2013 Bikini Olympia and left with the gold medal around her neck.
Kaltwasser has a few other firsts to her name: She’s the first Bikini competitor to win back-to-back contests, and she’s the first and still the only competitor to have won the show more than three times. Kaltwasser’s last victory at the Olympia was in 2015, but she went on to win 32 contests as of this writing, which is the most out of any athlete in history, male or female.
2013
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Yeshaira Robles
- Stacey Alexander
- Nathalia Melo
- India Paulino
- Amanda Latona
- Courtney King
- Justine Munro
- Lacey DeLuca
- Tiffany Marie Boydston
- Tawna Eubanks
- Gigi Amurao
- Ashley Cronley Leblanc
- Candice Conroy
- Jennifer Andrews
2014
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Janet Layug
- Stacey Alexander
- Yeshaira Robles
- Amanda Latona
- India Paulino
- Sarah LeBlanc
- Tawna Eubanks
- Noemi Olah
- Stephanie Mahoe
- Candice Conroy
- Narmin Assria
- Vladamira Krasova
- Lacey DeLuca
- Christie Marquez
2015
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Janet Layug
- Courtney King
- India Paulino
- Stacey Alexander
- Narmin Assria
- Stephanie Mahoe
- Justine Munro
- Michelle Sylvia
- Jamie Del Angel
- Sarah LeBlanc
- Breena Martinez
- Tawna Eubanks
- Nicole Ankney
- Christie Marquez
Courtney King (2016)
By 2016, Kaltwasser had a white knuckle grip on the Bikini division, and many thought she would go on a Ronnie Coleman-esque streak. However, in 2016, Kaltwasser showed up a tad off, and Courtney King was able to unseat the Bikini Queen.
However, she missed her peak in 2016, and Courtney King looked the best she ever had. Kaltwasser finished fourth behind Angelica Teixeira and India Paulino. As for the new champion, this was her final appearance on the Olympia stage, and she hasn’t competed since winning this title.
- Courtney King
- Angelica Teixeira
- India Paulino
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Jennifer Ronzitti
- Janet Layug
- Stacey Alexander
- Narmin Assria
- Romina Basualdo
- Bianca Berry
- Iveth Carreon
- Marcia Goncalves
- Margaret Gnall
- Jamie Del Angel
- Tifanny Urrea
Angelica Teixeira (2017, 2018)
With King out of the lineup, the 2017 contest was wide open. Brazilian competitor Angelica Teixeira showed up with a few extra pounds of muscle and became the sixth-ever Bikini Olympia winner. Jennifer Ronzitti took the second place position for the first time, and Romina Basulado accepted the bronze medal for third.
Teixeria was even better when she showed up to defend her title in 2018. Once she walked onstage, the battle was clearly for second place. Lauralie Chapados got silver, and Janet Layug finished in the three spot.
2017
- Angelica Teixeira
- Jennifer Ronzitti
- Romina Basulado
- Casey Samsel-Torres
- Narmin Assria
- Michelle Sylvia
- Camile Periat
- Katya Nosova
- Elisa Pecini
- Yana Kuznetsova
- Elizabeth Yisrael
- Lauren Irick
- Sheena Jayne Martin
- Breena Martinez
- Anita Herbert
2018
- Angelica Teixeira
- Lauralie Chapados
- Janet Layug
- Elisa Pecini
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Jennifer Ronzitti
- Romina Basulado
- Raphaela Milagres
- Marcia Goncalves
- Jennifer Dorie
- Camile Periat
- India Paulino
- Casey Samsel-Torres
- Narmin Assria
- Frida Paulsen Stern
Elisa Pecini (2019)
Janet Layug had become the unofficial bridesmaid of the Bikini division, coming close several times to winning the big shows but coming up short in the end. She had won the 2019 Bikini International contest — held at the Arnold Sports Festival USA — and accumulated notable fandom.
Teixeira was the defending champion, and she wasn’t as lean as she had been the previous year. So, Layug placed ahead of her, but Elisa Pecini brought an unbeatable lower body, and the judges rewarded her with the win. Layug finished second for the third time. Teixeira, Chapados, and Jennifer Dorie rounded out the top five.
- Elisa Pecini
- Janet Layug
- Angelica Teixeira
- Lauralie Chapados
- Jennifer Dorie
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Jennifer Ronzitti
- Etila Santiago
- Maureen Blanquisco
- Marcia Goncalves
- Camile Periat
- Beatriz Biscaia
- Priscila Leimbacher
- Cristobalina Pajares
- Monica Ellis
Janet Layug (2020)
The year 2020 was monumental for the Bikini Olympia. The contest was moved to Orlando, FL, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest saw its most star-studded lineup, and Pecini was the defending champion. Former winners Kaltwasser and Teixeira were both in the lineup as well. Then there were top contenders like Layug, Dorie, Chapados, and Etila Santiago.
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Despite the circumstances going into the show and the quality of athletes on the stage, Layug finally secured the one title that had long eluded her. She was in the best shape of her life, and it paid off. Dorie and Santiago stood alongside her in second and third, respectively.
- Janet Layug
- Jennifer Dorie
- Etila Santiago
- Angelica Teixeira
- Lauralie Chapados
- Elisa Pecini
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Ashlyn Little
- Jasmine Gonzalez
- Breena Martinez
- Jennifer Ronzitti
- Monica Ellis
- Nittaya Kongthun
- Daraja Hill
- Sara Choi
Jennifer Dorie (2021)
Less than eight months after Layug won the Olympia, she announced that she wouldn’t defend the title in 2021. That meant the door was open for several contenders, including former champions Kaltwasser and Pecini.
Jennifer Dorie set the tone that year by winning the 2021 Bikini International contest, and the momentum carried her from Columbus, OH, to Orlando two weeks later. She held off Chapados to win her first Olympia title. Kaltwasser finished in third, and Pecini took fifth,
- Jennifer Dorie
- Lauralie Chapados
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Maureen Blanquisco
- Elisa Pecini
- Daraja Hill
- Jennifer Ronzitti
- Romina Basulado
- Lauren Dannenmiller
- Lucia Malavaze
- Jessica Wilson
- Allison Testu
- Jourdanne Lee
- Allison Facchin
- Erin Stern
Who Will Win in 2022?
The 2022 Olympia is set to return to Las Vegas, and it will be held on the weekend of Dec. 16-18, 2022. Dorie is the defending champion, but Chapados now has the Fitness International title in her possession, which makes her the clear number one contender. Kaltwasser is still in the mix as well. With several more shows to go before the Olympia, the full field of athletes will grow, and the anticipation for the next Bikini Olympia may be as high as it’s ever been.
Featured Images: @nathaliamelofit, @janetlayug, @jenniferdorie_ifbbpro on Instagram