The Final Stretch: Olympia Qualification Series Breakdown


The IFBB PRO League introduced a new “Olympia Qualification Series” in March of this year and now is when things get very interesting. We have three shows remaining for Figure, two for Bikini and one for Fitness. The Women’s Bodybuilding qualifications and field is set. Since this is the first year for the IFBB Women’s Physique division, no points were kept. We’ll see if it’s added next year but that’s a conversation for another time. Let’s review the points-based system and how it works.

 

You win an IFBB Pro show and you’re in the Olympia. If you’ve already qualified for the Olympia and win a show, there is no “bump down” to second place. The new system awards points to competitors placing in 2 to 5 spots. These points are awarded at all IFBB Pro League competitions. The five competitors with the highest point totals will qualify to compete in the Olympia. No points are awarded for first, since they automatically qualify. Those placing in the top five at the Olympia will automatically qualify for the following year.


SHOWS & RESPECTIVE POINTS AWARDED
TIER 1 – ARNOLD CLASSIC

2nd – 8 Points
3rd – 7 Points
4th – 6 Points
5th – 5 Points

TIER 2 – SHERU CLASSIC, ARNOLD CLASSIC EUROPE

2nd – 6 Points
3rd – 5 Points
4th – 4 Points
5th – 3 Points

TIER 3 – NEW YORK PRO
2nd – 5 Points
3rd – 4 Points
4th – 3 Points
5th – 2 Points

TIER 4 – ALL OTHER IFBB PRO LEAGUE COMPETITIONS
2nd – 4 Points
3rd – 3 Points
4th – 2 Points
5th – 1 Point

It’s important to note the tier levels and points. In an event of a tie, it is my understanding the IFBB Pro League will then evaluate the tied competitors and base the tie breaker on highest finished in given show. Example: if to women are tied and Competitor A finished in second at the New York Pro but competitor B finished in 3rd at the Chicago Pro… Competitor A would win the tie breaker by finishing higher.

FITNESS
Let’s start with the easiest one to follow. Fitness currently has 11 women qualified for the Olympia. This weekend’s IFBB Valenti Gold Cup has 9 competitors currently in the line-up. A third of those women are already qualified for the Olympia. Let’s assume those three women finish in the top three spots. That leaves 2 points to one competitor and one to another. Myriam Capes, Camala Rodriquez & Ryall Graber-Vasani are in the Fitness Olympia but will they go 1-2-3 this weekend? That’s the million dollar question and one a few women are hoping doesn’t happen.

POSITION – NAME – POINTS

1 Ruban, Danielle 7
2 Harris, Fiona 6
3 Hadarean, Vanda 4
3 Vaines, Kizzy 4
5 Ethier, Allison 3
6 Bruce, Sonja 1
6 Frederick, Melissa 1
6 Sutton-Abrams, Jacklyn 1

Danielle Ruban and Fiona Harris are in given their current points. Even if the women below them in point were to snag 4 points, they would still remain in the top five. So let’s put those two aside and breakdown who in the top points are ones to watch. Vanda Hadarean & Kizzy Vaines are tied for the 3 & 4th place positions with 4 points. If either woman finishes in the top five they are pretty much in, not guaranteed but the odds are in their favor. Next is Allison Either sitting in 5th with 3 points. If she can land in the top 5 she should secure her spot. If not she could be on the outside looking in however it’s a long shot that it would happen. Sonja Bruce and Melissa Frederick are not slated to compete. That leaves rookie Jacklyn Sutton-Abrams with one point. If Jacklyn can finish in 3rd or higher she’s in. If she finishes in 4th and ahead of Allison in this show they would tie however Allison would win the tie breaker because she has a 4th place finish at the St. Louis Pro Fitness. Unless someone not listed placings in 2nd or 3rd this will be the scenario for the remaining 3 spots in the Qualification Series.

BIKINI:
This one gets a little tougher to breakdown since there are  two shows remaining before the Olympia. The Valenti Gold Cup this weekend and the St. Louis Pro next weekend. The points could change for the Bikini division based on how things play out this weekend but as of current standings here’s what we’re looking at for possible contenders to finish in the top 5 points.

POSITION – NAME – POINTS

1 Chapman, Jennifer 13
2 Robles, Yeshaira 10
3 Munro, Justine 8
3 Maleton, Dayna 8
3 Matheny, Taylor 8
6 Tribin, Marcela 5

As it stands today Jennifer Chapman and Yeshaira Robles are locks for the Bikini Olympia an I can’t see either of them getting bumped out of the top five. That leaves Justine Munro, Dayna Maleton and Taylor Matheny in a three way tie fore the remaining spots. None of these three are entered in this weekend’s Valenti Gold Cup so their points look to stand at 8 heading into next week’s final show. That leaves Marcela Tribin as the X-factor in the current equation. Marcela is currently in 6th place with 5 points. If she finishes in second or third she would be in the Olympia. The other factor to remember in this equation are the women who are already qualified and in the show. Juliana Daniell and Tianna Ta are both qualified and contender for the top five this weekend. One other scenario that could play out are the rookies in this show. Should they or someone else finish in second this weekend they could set themselves up for an Olympia birth by matching that finish next week in St. Louis… two runner-up finishes would put them at 8 points and give them the nod in the tie-breaker. More to come on this division after this weekend.

FIGURE:
This is definitely the most interesting division to follow in the point series with a number of scenarios in play. There are three IFBB Figure shows taking place this weekend. We can rule out The IFBB Nordic Pro as none of the competitors will effect the outcome of the Olympia Qualification Series. Some one new will head to the Olympia but again that won’t change the points because even with 4 points there isn’t another show to move up.


POSITION – NAME – POINTS

1 Frahn, Allison 8
2 Waples, Natalie 7
2 Reis, Larissa 7
4 Brown, Cheryl 5
4 Cantone, Andrea 5
6 Hart, Aleisha 4
6 Montoya, Tamara 4
6 Sheppard, Kimberly 4
6 Haldeman, Mallory 4
10 Koshman, Tatiana 3

We can take Tamara Montoya out of the equation as she will not be competing this weekend in either show. Currently, Cheryl Brown is tied for fourth however is not slated to compete. This would keep her at 5 points however given the number of women in the top 10 that are competing this weekend, it would most likely not be enough to keep her in the mix. Allison Frahn enters the weekend as the point leader with 8. It looks like it WILL be enough to keep her in the the top five even if she finishes out of the top 5 at the Tournament of Champions. So that leaves 8 as the magic number. If you match that you’re in. Enter Natalie Waples and Larissa Reis. Both women sit at 7 points and tied for second. If either of the two finish in the top five they will be in. Even with a fifth place finish it would give one of them 1 point which would be enough to stay in the top 5 points. If either of them finish out of the top five (or both) they could still be in the mix but it gets more complicated. Andrea Cantone is next in the point total, currently sitting in 4th with five points. Andrea has a bit of an advantage over the other women as she will be competing at the Valenti Cup where there are fewer in the hunt for points. If she finishes in the top five then she’ll get points but she will need to be in the top three to lock in enough points.

Now this is where things get really interesting. Aleisha Hart, Mallory Haldeman and Kim Sheppard are tied for sixth. If either of them finish fifth or higher they will bump Cheryl Brown out of the mix. If they want a guaranteed spot in the Olympia they would need to finish in second, which would move the point total to 8 and guarantee a trip to the Olympia. A third place finish would give put them at 7 and a much stronger chance of getting in. Aleisha has a bit of an advantage as she is in the Valenti Cup and facing fewer in the top points totals. The long shot but still mathmatically possible to make it in is Tatianna Koshman. She is in 10th place with 3 points. If she finishes in second she would likely get in the Olympia with 7 points and the second place being an advantage in a tie breaker. If she is third or fourth there is still a chance albeit a slim one given the other scenarios.

The longest of all shots are with Kamala Macko and Tivisay Briceno. They both sit with one point and would need finish in second to have any chance at qualifying and even then 5 points will likely not be enough. Oh and two important women to note that will definitely play a role in how things shake out. Erin Stern is competing at the Valenti Cup and Teresa Anthony is in the Tournament of Champions. Both will will undoubtedly finish in the top five and are the favorites to win heading into the weekend.

Follow all of that?  HA!

HARDBODY will be covering both shows and keep you updated on how things play out.

 

 






Disclaimer: Reader discretion advised, please consult your physician before beginning any exercise or diet program.