Every Winner of the Fitness Division at Olympia

By
Terry Ramos
-
fitness Olympia winners
Images via Instagram @oksanagrishina, @msfitnesso8, @whitneyjones_ifbbpro

Here’s a complete list of all the Fitness Olympia winners.

The Fitness division was the second category offered for all professional female bodybuilders who competed at Mr. Olympia. Initially, women Olympia competitors competed in the Ms. Olympia division from 1980-1994. Then in 1995, the Fitness Olympia division launched. 

Of course, this helped female bodybuilding grow in the International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro league. The IFBB Pro saw more female contenders with fierce physiques, ramping up the competition. Moreover, the Fitness division made some room for smaller athletes compared to the Ms. Olympia competitors.

Former gymnasts, cheerleaders, and dancers flocked to this class. That’s because besides having a muscular and toned physique, this division has posing. And contenders’ performances are crucial in this division.

In 1995, Mia Finnegan became the first woman to claim the Fitness Olympia division title. Since then, ten more competitors have won, with Whitney Jones being the reigning champion. This article will cover all the Fitness Olympia winners from 1995 to the present. 

Fitness Division Winners

Winner  Year (s)
Mia Finnegan 1995
Saryn Muldrow 1996
Carol Semple-Marzetta 1997
Monica Brant 1998
Mary Yockey 1999
Susan Curry  2000-2003
Adela Garcia-Friedmansky 2004, 2006-2007, 2009-2013
Jen Hendershott 2005, 2008
Oksana Grishina 2014-2017
Whitney Jones 2018-2019, 2021
Missy Truscott  2020, 2022

 

Mia Finnegan (1995)

Mia Finnegan was the first winner of the Fitness division. She won in 1995 in Atlanta, Georgia. The future winners, Carol Semple-Marzetta and Saryn Muldrow came close behind, finishing second (Semple-Marzetta) and third (Muldrow). 

Saryn Muldrow (1996)

 

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Saryn Muldrow improved her placing from the first Fitness Olympia division competition claiming the top spot the following year in Chicago, Illinois. (Mia Finnegan got second place.)

Carol Semple-Marzetta (1997)

 

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After hovering close to the top spot the last couple of years, it was Carol Semple-Marzetta who shined in 1997 after she overtook Saryn Muldrow for first place. 

Monica Bryant (1998)

In 1998, the competition moved to France (the only time the Fitness division was held outside the US). And it was Monica Bryant that brought the gold medal back from overseas. 

Mary Yockey (1999)

 

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The competitors were held in different locations in the first few years, but they found a home in Vegas in 1999. This was the year Mary Yockey won the Fitness division. 

Susan Curry (2000-2003)

Besides the competition now consistently being held in Vegas, in 2000, the show found its first champion to defend her title, Susan Curry. This didn’t come without fierce contenders, though. She had to ward off Kelly Ryan and Jennifer Worth, who finished in the top three through most of this period. Nevertheless, Curry dominated in the early 2000s and won from 2000-2003. She could have possibly won for a fifth straight year. But she decided not to compete after 2003. 

Adela Garcia-Friedmansky (2004, 2006-2007, 2009-2013)

Adela Garcia-Friedmansky was a top-five contender for years before breaking through to the title in 2004 after Susan Curry’s retirement. She went on to succeed Susan Curry’s record and has won the most Fitness division titles. She came back to claim her title in 2006 after failing to defend it in 2005 and won back-to-back, winning in 2007 as well. Unfortunately, she had to miss the show in 2008. But she won five years in a row from 2009-2013. Could she have won more? Maybe. But like Curry, she retired to end her streak. 

Jen Hendershott (2005, 2008)

Jen Hendershott prevented Adela Garcia-Friedmansky from winning back-to-back titles in 2005. But to avenge her downfall, Garcia-Friedmansky short-circuited her chance to win consecutive titles as well, which is why there was a winning gap from 2006-2007 for Jen Hendershott. Fortunately, Hendershott won in 2008 when Garcia-Friedmansky couldn’t compete. 

Oksana Grishina (2014-2017)

Oksana Grishina won her maiden Fitness Olympia trophy after receiving second place for consecutive years. She went on to join the list of back-to-back winners winning from 2014-2017. After 2017, like other straight champs, she paused competing. Her hiatus was brief, but she failed to win again upon coming back in 2020 and 2021. 

Whitney Jones (2018-2019, 2021)

After a neck injury interfered with Jones’ plans to become a Fitness Olympia champ in 2017, she returned with a burning desire and won in 2018. Despite not being seen as a heavy favorite, respectably after her 2017 absence. Whitney Jones is the reigning champ of the Fitness division at Olympia. And she’s one of the few athletes to regain their title after losing it. 

Missy Truscott (2020, 2022)

Because of the pandemic COVID-19 in 2020, the competition moved to Orlando, Florida. And Missy Truscott became the first Canadian to win the Fitness division. And she interrupted Whitney Jones’ win streak for a short period. 

Final Word

The Fitness division was the second installment for women’s categories at Olympia. And it’s helped shine more light on IFBB Pro female bodybuilding and has played a part in its continued growth. 

This category gave other women bodybuilders a fighting chance who wasn’t as muscular as the Ms. Olympia competitors. In addition, this division doesn’t only look at the athlete’s physique; their posing and performance are critical. That’s why you’ll find many competitors with a dance, cheerleading, and gymnastics background in this class. 

The Fitness division’s onset was in 1995, and since then, it’s seen 11 great champions thus far. Whitney Jones is the reigning champion. And she could very well win again, with many multi-title and back-to-back winners making up the champion list. But history has shown us that a winning streak can stop anytime. 

Of course, as the reigning champ, Jones’ poses a serious threat to the division. And she’s looking to be the fourth athlete to have at least four Fitness Olympia wins. But with only one win under her belt, Missy Truscott is hungry for more and looks to become the sixth champ to have multiple Fitness Olympia titles. 

The Olympia takes place this week from December 15-18, 2022, at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. 

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Terry Ramos
As a personal trainer and writer, Terry loves changing lives through coaching and the written word. Terry has a B.S. in Kinesiology and is an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer. He enjoys playing music, reading, and watching films when he's not writing or training.

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