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)
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.
2010 Bikini Olympia
Sonia Gonzalez
Nathalia Melo
Nicole Nagrani
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.
2011 Bikini Olympia
Nicole Nagrani
Nathalia Melo
Dianna Dahlgren
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.
2012 Bikini Olympia
Nathalia Melo
Nicole Nagrani
India Paulino
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.
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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 Bikini Olympia
Ashley Kaltwasser
Yeshaira Robles
Stacey Alexander
2014 Bikini Olympia
Ashley Kaltwasser
Janet Layug
Stacey Alexander
2015 Bikini Olympia
Ashley Kaltwasser
Janet Layug
Courtney King
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.
2016 Bikini Olympia
Courtney King
Angelica Teixeira
India Paulino
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 Bikini Olympia
Angelica Teixeira
Jennifer Ronzitti
Romina Basulado
2018 Bikini Olympia
Angelica Teixeira
Lauralie Chapados
Janet Layug
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.
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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.
2019 Bikini Olympia
Elisa Pecini
Janet Layug
Angelica Teixeira
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.
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.
2020 Bikini Olympia
Janet Layug
Jennifer Dorie
Etila Santiago
Jennifer Dorie (2021, 2023)
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.
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Dorie would fall to second in ’22, but return to claim the title again in 2023, unseating Maureen Blanquisco.
2021 Bikini Olympia
Jennifer Dorie
Lauralie Chapados
Ashley Kaltwasser
2023 Bikini Olympia
Jennifer Dorie
Maureen Blanquisco
Ashley Kaltwasser
Maureen Blanquisco (2022)
The top 10 finishers of the first round moved on to the finals at the Zappos Theater on the evening of Dec. 17, 2022. It was meant to be a four-way race. Ultimately, though, Maureen Blanquisco claimed the title of 2022 Ms. Bikini Olympia.
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Blanquisco defeated powerhouses like Dorie, Kaltwasser, and Chapados to claim her singular Bikini Olympia victory. She would fall to second place one year later.
2022 Bikini Olympia
Maureen Blanquisco
Jennifer Dorie
Ashley Kaltwasser
Lauralie Chapados (2024)
The 2024 Bikini Olympia finals were held at Resorts World Theater in Las Vegas, NV, on Saturday, Oct. 12. Over 50 competitors started the day in prejudging.
Lauralie Chapados and Kaltwasser were in the middle of the final callout, meaning history was guaranteed to be made.
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Either Chapados would win her first Olympia, or Kaltwasser would win her fourth Olympia and secure her 50th career pro win. In the end, Chapados did just enough for the judges to give her the win.
2024 Bikini Olympia
Lauralie Chapados
Ashley Kaltwasser
Jasmine Gonzalez
Featured Images: @nathaliamelofit, @janetlayug, @jenniferdorie_ifbbpro on Instagram
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