FITNESS OLYMPIA
GRISHINA
LOCKS UP
FITNESS
OKSANA GRISHINA
SECURES HER
FITNESS OLYMPIA
LEGACY WITH
VICTORY NO. 4.
88
FLEX | JANUARY 2018
■ When eight-time Fitness O
winner Adela Garcia retired in
2013, the division that she had
dominated suddenly seemed a
wide-open field. Veterans and
rookies alike saw opportunity
and a title up for grabs, despite
the presence of the woman
who had placed runner-up
behind Garcia in her final two
showings, Oksana Grishina.
When the Russian-born
Grishina did in fact take the
fitness crown, having pushed
her physique to new heights,
still few imagined that the
Garcia years would be followed
by a new dynastic conqueror
taking the top spot. But Grishina
went and did just that, securing
her legacy with a fourth win
this year and tying her with
legendary fitness champ Suzie
Curry (2000–03) for Fitness O
wins. Whether or not Grishina
could match Garcia’s O record
is fated to remain an
unanswered question—last
March, after winning her record
fourth consecutive Fitness
International title, Grishina
announced she would be
retiring after the 2017 Fitness
Olympia. She exits having made
her mark in the record books.
Myriam Capes, appearing in
her ninth Fitness Olympia since
2007, reached her highest
placing yet, finishing runner-up
ahead of Regiane Da Silva,
another longtime contender,
who in her 12th Fitness O
earned her best placing. Ryall
Graber, in fourth, also improved
on the seventh she earned in
2015, while Bethany Wagner
finished in fifth for the third time
in as many years.