Page 150 - Muscle & Fitness (December 2019)
P. 150

Shawn Ray gives his thoughts on some of the
           highlights from Olympia Weekend.


          B Y  S H A W N  R A Y  ///  P H O T O G R A P H S  B Y  C H R I S  N I C O L L

             NOW THAT THE DUST                          and rivaled by no one at the
          has settled from the 2019                     moment. Her success is partly
          Olympia Weekend, I want to                    due to genetics—her tiny joints,
          reflect on a few highlights and                tiny waist, broad shoulders, and
          takeaways that may have gone                  overall excellent conditioning.
          unnoticed.                                    Grant stands head and shoul-
            First and foremost, one of the              ders above her peers.
          least-talked-about performances                The question everyone is now
          of Olympia Weekend was the                    asking is: Will Grant add more

          sheer dominance of SHANIQUE                   weight to her frame and return
          GRANT, the two-time Women’s                   next year as a bodybuilder? It
          Physique Olympia winner. Grant,               was announced that the Ms.
          also the 2018 Women’s Physique                Olympia bodybuilding champi-
          International champ and the                   onships will return to Las Vegas
          winner of two New York Pro titles,            in 2020. This sets Grant up to do
          has taken the physique division by            what no one has yet to accom-
          storm. Everyone refers to her as              plish—win two Olympia titles in
          a “Lenda Murray Lite,” a compari-             two different divisions. Everyone
          son to the eight-time Ms. Olympia             is of the assumption that Grant
          who’s been inducted in both the               could be the first.
          IFBB Professional League Body-                 That being said, the verdict
          building Hall of Fame and the                 is still out whether or not
          Arnold Classic Hall of Fame.                  Grant will go back to the Wom-
            Grant, originally from Chicago,             en’s Physique International in
          quickly came to prominence in                 2020 in Columbus, OH, to try
          the sport after earning her IFBB              to recapture a second one. But
          Pro League card in 2014. She’s                everyone is of the assumption
          since gone on to win titles in New            that she should. She’s clearly
          York, Tampa, and Las Vegas.                   dominant from head to toe with
            Right now, at age 24, Grant                 zero weaknesses in stature,

          obviously has the most dominant               conditioning, or genetics, as she
          physique in the women’s physique              proved to everyone in Septem-                        SHANIQUE
          division. She’s being challenged              ber in Las Vegas.                                    GRANT


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