Golden Girl: At the 2001 fitness olympia in Las Vegas, standout Susie Curry became the first-ever repeat winner in the history of the contest. Here are the highlights of the incredible performances from the 12-woman field - Brief Article

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, Feb-March, 2002 by Beth Sonnenburg

First place: Susie Curry

Bremen Georgia

With her unbeatable combination of athletic ability and an incredibly sculpted physique, Susie Curry became the event's only two-time winner in its seven-year history. The previous lack of a repeat winner has consistently provided ammunition for the theory that no clear-cut standards really exist to determine a champion, especially when it comes to physique. Surprisingly, though Susie's gymnastics ability is often regarded as her best asset, at this show her body was the winning factor, as she won both physique rounds with a slightly fuller look than she presented last year. Consistency, at last!

A one-woman dynamo, Susie acts as her own personal trainer, nutritionist and gymnastics coach. She usually tacks on solo choreography to her list of duties, but this year she enlisted the help of aerobics champion Cliff Boice to round out her routine "I trained the whole year for this, really," explained Susie, who admitted to breaking two toes in the process. "I started coming up with the routine this summer but I didnn't t actually finish it until two weeks before the show."

Most of the other women in the contest had competed at other shows through out the year, but Susie had only one night to sink or swim. "Susie always amazes me," said Jenny Hendershott the day after the Fitness O. "I think it's awesome she can take a whole year off from competing and show up and be that good. That's hard. That's a hit or miss, and you've got one day to be on out of 365 days in a year."

Other competitors echoed Jenny's compliment. "Susie's routine gets better every year," said Stacy Simons, who herself drew raves from the audience with her spine-defying strength and flexibility moves. "She just really pulled everybody in with her level of difficulty and how she makes it better every single year."

Over the past year, Susie has had to transition from training solo into working out amid a flock of fans. "I used to be really zoned and focused when I worked out Now I realize people are just wanting the best for me and want to encourage me -- I just try to enjoy it." Asked what was best about winning the show last year. Susie commented: "I guess the feedback from the fans and realizing that I'm a role model for so many people, as far as making a difference in their lives and living a healthy lifestyle. This year I hope to continue to travel and meet people and just represent the EBB well and fitness competitors in general, to let people know that we are athletes."

* runner-up jenny worth

Jenny Worth was definitely a favorite coming into the Fitness O, especially on the heels of her spring win at the 2001 Fitness International in Columbus, Ohio. Perhaps the most driven athlete competing here, Jenny prepared for her Tomb Raider routine by taking taekwondo classes, attending an aerobics championship camp to learn new moves, and working with street dancers and a choreographer. She also came in with a jaw-dropping physique that was curvy and feminine, yet muscular.

Confusing to many was Jenny's fourth-place showing in the two-piece physique round. One of the most structurally superior athletes in the field, Jenny has a completely balanced, sleek and symmetrical body, so for the judges to relegate her to fourth was somewhat mysterious. Even more confusing was her bump to second place in the last physique round -- up two places with just the change of a suit. Never one to be down for long, Jenny concluded, "Everybody wants to win, but I'm happy with second." She's now back to the drawing board, hoping to repeat last year's win at the upcoming Fitness International.

third place kelly ryan las vegas

Kelly Ryan came into this show after a standout year, including wins at the Jan Tana and Pittsburgh contests, where her high placings in the physique rounds gave her confidence coming into Vegas. The catch was that Susie and Jenny, who proved to be her stiffest competition, were not at either of those shows. Kelly was relegated to fifth in both physique rounds, which made it impossible for her to knock Susie off the throne.

Par for the course, Kelly deservedly won both routine rounds, as her skill, stage presence and energy were unrivaled. "I'm very happy with the response to my routine, and that of course is what I'm looking for."

After round four, Kelly and Jenny were actually tied for second, but when the tie-breaker scores were counted, Jenny came out ahead. "It's always a give and take," concluded Kelly. "I'll get it right one of these years."

fourth place adela friedmansky normal illinois

Proving herself to be a consistent contender for the top spots, last year's fifth-place finisher moved up to fourth here. Weeks before at the Pittsburgh show, the judges advised Adela to come in a bit softer in Vegas. She heeded their advice and worked with Jenny Hendershott's right-hand man, Mike Davies, who helped her come down a little bit and soften up her physique.

"I think my physique is getting more muscle maturity," said Adela. "I've been learning how to incorporate more interval training like running, sprinting and bleachers... I always have curves and glutes, so that helped bring them down a little bit more." The key to Adela's placing was getting second in the two-piece physique round, beating out Timea Majorova, Jenny Worth and Kelly Ryan. Yet Timea and Jenny came out ahead of Adela in the one-piece round. Routinewise, her Latin-flavored dance moves and cool sound effects were enough to keep her in the running with other top contenders.