Less than 24 hours after a record-setting press conference and successful Meet the Olympians event, The 2024 Olympia kicks off with Friday morning free judging at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Thousands of fans sat in the seats and stood behind the seating area as their favorite competitors from around the world grace the stage and faced the judges for the 2024 Olympia Prejudging event .
Fitness, 212, figure, Women’s Physique, the Ms. Olympia, and the Wellness Olympia were all featured on the World Fitness Expo stage on Oct. 11th. You missed any of the events, here is a brief look back at what happened in Sin City.
The posing round for fitness only counts for one-third of the overall score, but it is very important, nonetheless. Two-time winner Missy Truscott made her return to the stage after suffering a major knee injury in 2023. She and Tamara Vahn were in the center of the final call out, indicating they were in the weed after the opening round. Next up is the Performance round at Resorts World, which will help determine the champion later tonight.
The audience already knew that this contest was going to be a rematch of 2023. Defending champion Keone Pearson and two-time winner Shaun Clarida close the down and based off on stage in the opening round. They are both into driver’s seat for the win. It’s only a matter of which one will leave the stage as champion. Clarida had the superb conditioning and thickness, while Pearson had his signature shape and size. We will have to wait until the finals to see who leaves the stage as 2024 world champion.
Based on the fans’ response, Cydney Gillon appears to be well on her way to her 8th consecutive Figure Olympia title. Her only threat appears to be 2023 Masters Olympia champion Jessica Reyes Padilla. They held center stage at the end of the round, and they are the favorites going into the finals later tonight.
The same cannot be said for the women’s Physique division. The crowd and judges appear to be split between three-time defending champion Sarah Villegas and 2022 winner Natalia
Abraham Coelho. If Villegas is successful, she will try the record for most wins in this division’s history with four. Meanwhile, Coelho looks to be the second athlete to regain the title after losing it. Either way, history will be made at the Resorts World Theater.
We also saw a dramatic finish to the Ms. Olympia. Four-time champion Andrea Shaw was seeking redemption after losing the 2024 Rising Phoenix to Angela Yeo. Meanwhile, yo was looking to become the second champion in this division since the Ms. Olympia was relaunched in 2020. As far as the judges were concerned, this contest is down to those two. Shaw had the size advantage, and she was in better condition than at the Rising Phoenix. Yeo was determined to hold her own and was better in Las Vegas as well. Nothing was solved here, and we will have to see what happens later this evening.
Francielle Mattos is the only champion in this division’s history. She was looking to add to her legacy with a fourth consecutive Olympia win. However, Isabelle Nunes and Eduarda Bezerra want to establish that the future of the division is now. If the fans support was helping determine the champion, Meadows could have walked away with a trophy this morning. Nonetheless, she will have to wait until tonight to see if she is crowned the winner.
Friday Night Finals to Come
Run around for all of these divisions, as well as the historic 60th Mr. Olympia Prejudging, well take place at Resorts World Theater later this evening. You can catch all of the action from Las Vegas live by ordering the 2024 Olympia pay-per-view over at www.olympiaproductions.com. Make sure you also check out the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channel to see what is happening at the 2024 Olympia World Fitness Expo.
