FIGURE OLYMPIA
GILLON
FIRES UP
A WIN
IN HER FOURTH
FIGURE OLYMPIA,
CYDNEY GILLON
RISES TO THE TOP.
82
FLEX | JANUARY 2018
■ When Cydney Gillon was
a contestant on the reality
series Survivor, she made it
to the final four before a loss
in a fire-making tiebreaker
sent her to the jury. She was
already a rising star in figure
when she signed on to the
series, having taken ninth in
her first Olympia in 2014, a
mere two years after earning
her pro card at the NPC
Nationals. Gillon has said that
she emerged from the reality
series experience more
determined to make progress
toward her goal of winning
the O.
The reigning Figure Olympia
winner, Latorya Watts, having
been on a wild and winning
trajectory of her own, also
made her O debut in 2014,
finishing in fifth, four spots
ahead of Gillon, then wrestled
the title from four-time Figure
O winner Nicole Wilkins a year
later in 2015. In 2016, Gillon
finished third, closing the gap
again, behind winner Watts,
with only the able-bodied
Candice Lewis-Carter
standing between them.
When it came time for the
final callout this time around,
it was last year’s top three
standing onstage—Watts,
Gillon, and Lewis-Carter
having edged Heather Dees
and Wilkins into fourth and
fifth, respectively. Shortly
thereafter, it was Watts
landing in second, having
failed to ignite a third win,
and it was Gillon who finally
emerged with the jury’s votes.