But they are this time around, and anything less shouldn’t be expected from The Governor!

All four champions from 2011 will return and defend their crowns, not the most usual circumstance when you factor in a number of reasons why this is a special occurrence, indeed. Many competitors skip the Arnold to concentrate on the Mr. Olympia or have no choice in the matter if they suffer an injury. Take Branch Warren, for instance. The Texas native not only won the title last March, but also the Most Muscular Award. Outside of the British Grand Prix a few weeks later (which he also won), Warren will have not had donned the posing trunks in nearly 12 months when he hits the stage at the Arnold. A freak accident caused him to become injured and have to bow out of the Mr. Olympia.

Warren will have his work cut out for him against a line-up that includes Dexter Jackson (a three-time Arnold champion), as well as Dennis Wolf and Evan Centopani, who both finished in the top six a year ago.

In female bodybuilding, it will be once again the great Iris Kyle looking to monopolize the Ms. International first place prize, something that she has been able to do on six prior occasions. “I just take one year at a time,” Kyle said. “I do my homework and try to come in with the package that (the judges) are looking for.”

Of course, Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia will have something to say about that, herself a four-time winner in Columbus and a frequent runner-up to Kyle here and at the Ms. Olympia.

Adele Garcia will look to add a fifth Ms. Fitness International trophy to her growing collection and will have to fend off the likes of Tanji Johnson and Camala Rodriguez.

In 2011, the inaugural Ms. Bikini International took place and Nicole Nagrani was named its first champion. “I feel amazing right now; I’m on top of the world,” Nagrani commented backstage following the win.

The 19-year-old again stood in the winner’s circle at the Olympia and will have to watch out for Sonia Gonzales (second) and Nathalia Melo (third), who were directly on her heels last March.

Perhaps the most interesting battle will take place in figure, where Nicole Wilkins and Erin Stern have gone back and forth in Ohio and Las Vegas the last few years. Wilkins has tasted victory at the last two Ms. Figure International shows and will also have to keep her eyes on Ava Cowan and Cheryl Brown.

Keep in mind that these lists are just the people who have been invited to the 2012 Arnold Classic and there will be some who decline the invite for one reason or another. But competing here is an honor and most will in fact be up there on the stage at the War Memorial come March 2 and 3.

The official lists are as follows:

2012 Arnold Classic (14)
Fouad Abiad
Gustavo Badell
Lionel Beyeke
Matthias Botthof
Evan Centopani
Eduardo Correa
Brandon Curry
Dexter Jackson
Michael Kefalianos
Ben Pakulski
Shawn Rhoden
Branch Warren
Ben White
Dennis Wolf

2012 Ms. International (15)
Maria Rita Bello
Brigita Brezovac
Kim Buck
Tina Chandler
Alevtina Goroshinskaya
Monique Jones
Iris Kyle
Debi Laszewski
Cathy LeFrancois
Zoa Lindsey
Geraldine Morgan
Yaxeni Oriquen
Kim Perez
Alina Popa
Maria Segura

2012 Fitness International (17)
Michelle Blank
Jodi Boam
Myriam Capes
Regiane Da Silva
Tina Durkin
Allison Ethier
Adela Garcia
Oksana Grishina
Tanji Johnson
Diana Monteiro
Julie Palmer
Kayde Puckett
Camala Rodriguez
Daniella Ruban
Kizzy Vaines
Sheri Vucick
Bethany Wagner

2012 Figure International (16)
Jelena Abbou
Teresa Anthony
Cheryl Brown
Krissy Chin
Ava Cowan
Heather Dees
Alicia Harris
Raquel Hernandez
Candice Keene
Gloria Keplinger Tarpley
Sue Knott
Larissa Reis
Erin Stern
Gennifer Strobo
Latisha Wilder
Nicole Wilkins

2012 Bikini International (18)
Jennifer Andrews
Jaime Baird
Abbie Burrows
Juliana Daniell
Sonia Gonzales
Candyce Graham
Diana Graham
Jessica Jessie
Lexi Kaufman
Nathalia Melo
Justine Munro
Nicole Nagrani
India Paulino
Jessica Paxson
Natalie Pennington
Monique Ricardo
Tianna Ta
Christine Vargas

For more information, be sure to visit the official contest website, www.arnoldsportsfestival.com.

Since then, a scenario of ‘what can go wrong will go wrong’ seemed to be the mantra of Policky’s life. Injuries forced her to sit out the 2010 Arnold Classic (Ms. International) and then a series of personal problems that included going through a divorce, alcohol and drug use, as well as a stint in rehab, caused her to stay away from the sport and the fitness lifestyle in general.

Policky is back on track with her life now and although she is currently retired and has stated that she has no plans to ever compete again as a bodybuilder, we will see if a change to the new Women’s Physique Division may be in the cards for her.

MuscleSport Radio can be heard live every Tuesday from 1:00 to 1:30 PM Eastern time on www.blogtalkradio.com and all episodes are archived and available free on Blog Talk Radio, MuscleSport Mag and iTunes. Join us on the air by calling in at (347) 884-8157.

Be sure to visit Rhoden’s official website, www.heatherarmbrust.com, and his Facebook page.

MuscleSport Radio has enjoyed a steady flow of special guests since launching, with famous names in the bodybuilding and sports industry such as Samir Bannout, Bill Grant, Boyer Coe, Troy Brown, Ronnie Coleman, Gunter Schlierkamp, Leo Ingram, Heather Mae French, Cathy LeFrancois, Colette Nelson, Cathy LeFrancois, Dena Westerfield, Marshall Faulk, Bill Romanowski, Tony Mandarich, “Leapin’” Lanny Poffo, Taylor Boyd, Steve Michalik, Dan Lurie, Emy Silvagni, Rae Holitt, Tom Terwilliger, Dan “The Beast” Severn, Kevin Levrone, Layne Norton, Randy Roach, Debi Laszewski and more.

HEATHER’S COMPETITION HISTORY

Dayana Cadeau may be making the switch at the right time and announced it last month on her Facebook page:

“I would like to thank all my fans for their support for all these years of my bodybuilding career. This weekend was my last Olympia show as a bodybuilder. I’m gonna do Women’s Physique as an IFBB pro. Much better for me.”

Throughout her 16-year bodybuilding career, Cadeau has competed in numerous shows each year and was a regular at the Arnold Classic and Ms. Olympia. As recently as the last Arnold, she finished in the top 10, and was in the top six at the 2010 Olympia.

But now she is delving into a new class that people are still curious about. Physique is said to be in between bodybuilding and figure, so someone with as much muscle mass as Cadeau will have to a lot of modifications to her routine and diet in order to bring it down.

It remains to be seen the effect that WPD will have on the industry and if other female bodybuilders will follow Cadeau. And then there is the question of how many amateur competitors will go into physique instead of bodybuilding. These are all things that will play themselves out.

But for now, it will be very interesting to see the transformation of Dayana Cadeau.

In the fitness category, Adela Garcia defended her title successfully, holding off Tanji Johnson.

Sonia Gonzalez dropped from being the first Bikini Olympia champion a year ago to fifth place, as 2011 Ms. Bikini International Nicole Nagrani, 19, was named the winner.

In women’s bodybuilding, Dayana Cadeau and Mah-Ann Mendoza both competed for the last time. Both are veterans of the sport and will be missed.

FINAL PLACINGS

WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING

1. Iris Kyle
2. Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia
3. Brigita Brezovac
4. Debi Laszewski
5. Alina Popa
6. Sheila Bleck
7. Kim Perez
8. Nicole Ball
9. Monique Jones
10. Tina Chandler
11. Kim Buck
12. Heather Foster
13. Cathy LeFrancois
14. Halle Nielsen
15. Skadi Frei-Seifert
16. Dayana Cadeau
17. Mah-Ann Mendoza

FITNESS

1. Adela Garcia
2. Tanji Johnson
3. Myriam Capes
4. Tina Durkin
5. Oksana Grishina
6. Michelle Blank
7. Bethany Cisternino
8. Jodi Boam
9. Camala Rodriguez
10. Nicole Duncan
11. Diana Paula-Monteiro
12. Regiane Da Silva
13. Kizzy Vaines

BIKINI

1. Nicole Nagrani
2. Nathalia Melo
3. Dianna Dahlgren
4. Jaime Baird
5. Sonia Gonzales
6. India Paulino
7. Alison Rosen
8. Juliana Daniell
9. Abigail Burrows
10. Justine Munro
11. Diana Graham
12. Natalie Pennington
13. Christina Vargas
14. Vanessa Prebyl
15. Cristina Vujnich
16. Barbara Bolotte
16. Candyce Graham
16. Cristy Mendivil
16. Dina Al-Sabah
16. Jennifer Drennan
16. Jennifer Andrews
16. Jessica Jessie
16. Kelly Gonzalez
16. Marisa Lee
16. Missy Coles
16. Nathalie Mur
16. Shelsea Montes
16. Vanessa Campbell

She has competed in four shows this year and has placed in the top six at each of them. LeFrancois has qualified for the Ms. Olympia and should not be overlooked by the deep line-up that will be present in Las Vegas. The Canadian comes in in top condition year in and year out and should have enough time between now and the middle of September to perfect her physique.

This was a bit of a surprise as LeFrancois finished out of the top three at the IFBB Toronto Pro Super Show only a week prior. But she apparently timed everything right and came in to the Sunshine State dried out and tight.

Now bodybuilding fans will have to wait and see what package LeFrancois will bring to the sport’s biggest stage. But the one thing that we do now for sure is that age is not a factor.

Kyle looked unbeatable from the rear, as usual. And her new hairstyle looks great. (Don’t want to sound like a sissy, but it does count for something with the women.) She did come in what was described as “a little under the weather” by MD’s Shawn Ray and it showed when she was on the side during the second call-outs. Kyle was being attended to by the show personnel and appeared to be dehydrating. Just goes to show you what a great champion she is.

The other three women in the first call-out were Debi Laszewski, Alina Popa and Betty Viana-Adkins. Laszewski looks as if she will either take third or even have a shot at the runner-up position if the judges agree that Oriquen-Garcia is off. Popa may be the surprise of the night and brings a much more streamlined look to the stage that is much needed in the sport. Viana-Adkins took a year off and that appears to have been the right move.

The finals will be here soon, so stay tuned with MSM, our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates and analysis.

In 2010, Kyle held off Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia at both the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia in two shows that could have went either way. We felt that Yaxeni bested Iris on both occasions and feel confident again in our prediction that the third time will be a charm.

OK, so here goes:

1 – Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia

2 – Iris Kyle

3 – Debi Laszewski

4 – Isabel Turell

5 – Dyana Cadeau

6 – Cathy LeFrancois

Laszewski looked on point at the Ms. Olympia and took third in Vegas. We expect more of the same here. Then there is a big drop off in this light line-up. Turell did not compete last year after placing seventh at the 2009 Ms. I. Cadeau has been competing forever and is always in the mix for the top six. LeFrancois can place well here and should.

One wild card in this group may be Maria Rito Bello, who will be making her pro debut after winning the Arnold Amateur a year ago. She may be small in size but her conditioning can loom large.

For the men, we will have a new champion with two-time winner Kai Greene choosing to sit this one out. Will someone such as Victor Martinez or Dexter Jackson reclaim the title? Or will Branch Warren transcend his Most Muscular Awards into first place?

Evan Centopani will definitely receive more than a few looks with his recent FLEX Pro Championship win. This will be only his third pro show, with success following Centopani in both previous contests. Dennis Wolf has been on point in his last two shows and Ronny Rockel’s improvements are unquestionable. Roelly Winklaar was an unknown at this time last year before finishing seventh at the Arnold in his maiden professional outing. By winning the 2010 New York Pro, he has made himself someone to be highly considered in every show he competes in.

Here is how we see it turning out:

1 – Branch Warren

2 – Dexter Jackson

3 – Evan Centopani

4 – Dennis Wolf

5 – Ronny Rockel

6 – Fouad Abiad

7 – Roelly Winklaar

8 – Victor Martinez

9 – Toney Freeman

10 – Sergey Shelestov

Warren has been so close at the two major shows and seems to be well-liked by the judges in Ohio. With Greene and Phil Heath dropping out, the Texas native should be able to hold off what is still a fairly deep line-up. Jackson looked good in finishing second at the FLEX and should squeak by Centopani this time. The judges panel may lean towards the veteran here.

Wolf has made a successful comeback with a good showing at the ’09 Olympia and again at the FLEX, so we like him to make the top six in Columbus. The diminutive Rockel sometimes gets overlooked, but gets another feather in his cap here. Abiad took third at the FLEX and made some big gains to get there. He is our surprise name in the top six.

Winklaar had a banner rookie campaign and can definitely duplicate that. Should he do better than the same place as last year? Depending on a few things, he can certainly bump himself up a spot or two. Winklaar hasn’t competed since September and someone as inexperienced as him may need a year or two to figure out the timing of everything in the pro circuit.

‘The Dominican Dominator’ has not done that much of late and we expect Martinez’s descent to continue this weekend. He doesn’t seem to have the same intensity as he once did but with so much pure talent and ability, Martinez may surprise us and we would be only too happy to eat our words. The sport is more interesting with a top conditioned Martinez on the stage.

A rough offseason could effect the X-Man in a detrimental way. Freeman’s trouble’s in Europe – although not totally his fault – may have set his schedule back. Plus he also tested positive for marijuana and that cannot bode well for someone training for an upcoming contest. (I don’t care how many months out that incident was; smoking weed and bodybuilding should not ever be mixed.)

Shelestov and Jackson are always looking good and either should be able to sneak into the top 10. We like Shelestov to be the one.

Last March, Kyle somehow was able to prevail in the Ms. International (Arnold Classic), even though Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia came into Ohio looking absolutely stunning. Judging is not an exact science, but it did appear that Oriquen-Garcia was more defined than Kyle. By winning five of the last six Ms. I shows, Kyle has been a tough competitor to say the least. In 2008, she came in off due to suffering an injury and fell all the way to seventh. Oriquen-Garcia won her fourth Ms. I that year.

Heading into the Ms. Olympia, it appeared that it would be a two-woman race once again. “I’m coming in in really good condition,” Oriquen-Garcia said the day before the contest. “I did my best and I’m ready to win.” As far as peaking in March or now, she commented, “I think now is my time. Iris is a great athlete, but we have totally different lines. Let’s see what the judges are looking for this year.”

Kyle and Oriquen-Garcia stood should-to-shoulder holding hands on the stage awaiting the announcement of the winner. Kyle’s reaction seemed to be one of relief and exuberance when she heard her name called and Oriquen-Garcia appeared disappointed but showed good sportsmanship. She knows how it feels to be champion, as she did in 2005 when she won the O, and will have to wait another year for the opportunity. But at 44, the window of opportunity may be starting to close for her.

Oriquen-Garcia has already stated that she will be competing at the Ms. International in 2011 and Kyle surely will be defending her title, so both women will have a chance to do it all over again.

In the men’s open pre-judging, it appears to be Jay Cutler again. The local boy received the loudest ovation from the crowd and he appears even more conditioned than last year. Phil Heath is still very young so he will have his day, but for now ‘The Gift’ will have to be content with the runner-up position. Branch Warren, who took second last September, was on point and could very well finish there again, but he should be top 3 either way. 2008 Mr. Olympia Dexter Jackson seems to be in  the fourth position, going by the call-outs. Then it gets really interesting…

Ronny Rockell – who we have been touting as a top 6 competitor since the Arnold – may make us look smart tomorrow evening. The German looked fantastic and was part of the top call-outs. Then the biggest surprise of the night heard his name in the second call-out. Dennis Wolf, who did not even place a year ago, appears much more drier then he has recently and may creep into the top 6. Timing is everything and even when we interviewed Big Bad Wolf last night at the “Meet The Olympians” he had that bloated look and appeared to be carrying too much fluids. He told us that he prepared for this show by himself without the help of a guru or a nutritionist and the results speak for themselves.

Some disappointments were Kai Greene and Victor Martinez. Both did not look as good as they did last time on this same stage and Charles Glass, Greene’s former trainer, was heard afterwards saying that he felt sorry for him.

A few of the IFBB officials were saying that many of the competitors were dehydrating backstage. The competition is so tight that is understandable.

MuscleSport Mag’s Top 6 Prediction:

1 – Jay Cutler

2 – Phil Heath

3 – Branch Warren

4 – Dexter Jackson

5 – Dennis Wolf

6 – Ronny Rockel