Over 160 athletes from the IFBB Pro League graced the Venetian Expo stage as the 2022 Olympic weekend was officially underway. Six pro divisions - Fitness, 212, Figure, Women's Physique, Wellness and Ms. Olympia - were all completed on Friday morning, December 17 at the 2022 Olympics preliminary. The finals of these competitions will be very interesting depending on how the judges have performed their trades.
Busy schedule for the 2022 Olympics weekend
Watch Mr. Olympia 2022 live on ppv
fitness
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Four-time Olympic champion Oksana Grishina suffered a late scratch from injury. That left Missy Truscott as the only past champion in the lineup, and she has a good chance of winning this year to claim her second title. She was joined by Jaclyn Baker on the final callout, which came as a surprise to the crowd. The routines count for two-thirds of the total score, so nothing is set in stone yet.
212
Courtesy of Wings of Strength
Two previous winners led this division. Shaun Clarida and Kamal Elgargni were in the first callout and they would be the only two in the final comparison. Head judge Steve Weinberger had them pose a lot to determine who would gain momentum in the finals. Someone will be a double winner. Will it be the Giant Killer or the Libyan legend?
figure
Courtesy of Wings of Strength
Five-time champion Cyd Gillon has been in the hunt for a sixth win and looks like she has a good chance of claiming it. She, Lola Montez, Jessica Reyes-Padilla and Jossie Bocerra were in the final draw but Gillon dominated the middle position. We'll have to wait until the finale for Bob Cicherillo to hear "and still" or "and new."
physique of woman
Olympia LLC/Instagram
This was perhaps the most interesting of all competitions at the Venetian. Two-time defending champion Sarah Villegas faced a tough challenge from last year's runner-up Natalia Abraham Coelho. Coelho and Villegas struck pose after pose and it seems the momentum could be on the challenger's side, but Villegas is a champion for a reason and she shouldn't be counted out. If she wins, she will join Juliana Malacarne as the only three-time winner in history.
Ms. Olympia
Olympia LLC/Instagram
Andrea Shaw is already a three-time Rising Phoenix Champion, and she wants a third Ms. Olympia to match. She stood shoulder to shoulder with former Rising Phoenix winners Margie Martin, Helle Trevino and rising star Angela Yeo, who is poised to finish in the top three on bodybuilding's biggest stage.
Wellness Olympiad
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Last but not least was the second edition of the Wellness Olympia with defending champion Francielle Mattos and Wellness International winner Isabelle Nunes. Last year's runner-up was Angela Borges, and she was out for revenge. The judges held her and Mattos side by side in both comparisons, making the conclusion a toss. Nunes, Rayana Santana, Kassandra Gillis and Gisele Machado were also in the final callout.
Friday night's Olympia 2022 finals begin at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. A champion will be crowned in each of these divisions, and there will also be a prelim for the 58th Mr. Olympia. Visit www.mrolympia.com for more information.
