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The sales pitch for Las Vegas tourism is that "whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".

But the results of the 2007 edition of the Ms. Olympia held once again at the Orleans Arena on September 28^th is already spreading quickly with news of Iris Kyle winning her fourth Ms. Olympia title.

With the field of 15 contestants - of which none will be staying in Vegas after this weekend - the 28^th annual event brought all the expected excitement that this most prestigious contest conjures. But the question as to whether any of the challengers to Iris Kyle's crown had the firepower to unseat the reigning champion brought little in the way of serious anticipation.

As most all close followers of bodybuilding understand, beating a reigning champion is a very difficult task. In boxing parlance, "you have to knockout out the champion to take the crown". Historically, Ms. Olympia winners have become a very elite group and when a star catches fire, it's likely that muscular flame can burn for years before it is extinguished. With Lenda Murray, Cory Everson, Kim Chizevsky, and Iris Kyle accounting for 22 of the Ms. Olympia crowns in the 28-year history of the event, it is easy to see why a Ms. Olympia victory is so cherished.

A unique aspect of this year's Ms. O was the fact that four competitors who had won previous Ms. Olympia titles were in the field. Along with Iris Kyle, Yaxeni Oriquen, Dayana Cadeau (as a Lightweight winner in 2004) and Valentina Chipega (as a Heavyweight winner in 2000) it made for a distinguished group to go with a field that was an intriguing blend of veteran competitors joined by a quartet of women who were making their debuts at the Ms. O.

The Field

With Canadian Nicole Ball, and Americans Stephanie Kessler, Heather Policky-Armbrust, and Sarah Dunlap taking the Ms. O stage for the first time, they brought the total of individual competitors who have competed at the Ms. Olympia since its inaugural event in 1980 to 205. Talk about an elite group!

The above, coupled with two-time Atlantic City Pro winner Lisa Aukland; Tazzie Colomb - the heavyweight winner at the 2007 Europa Super Show; overall Europa Super Show winner Mah-Ann Mendoza; the ageless Betty Pariso; last year's third-place Ms. O finisher Annie Rivieccio, and Antoinette Thompson (Norman), made for a contingent that was widely diverse in the styles of physiques - not to mention the notable age differentials. In fact eleven women were over the age of 35, with 8 of those over the age of 40. But as has been proven many times in bodybuilding contests, age is of little consequence and this particular event made that point crystal clear.

IRIS' EYES ARE SMILING

With Iris Kyle adding a fourth Ms. O title to her resume the question becomes even more pointed as to who might be capable of knocking her of the crown. That answer might well rest in the capable personage of Dayana Cadeau. With Kyle placing no lower than second at the Ms. Olympia since 2001, it is Cadeau who has been nipping at Kyle like a Schnauzer on a pant-leg the last few years. And this year in the early stages of the prejudging rounds it looked as though Kyle just might have left the door open for Cadeau to storm through. With Kyle appearing to be slightly off her usual chiseled level of condition (and only slightly), it was Cadeau who appeared to gain steam as the prejudging wore on. With judges adding Lisa Aukland and Heather Policky-Armbrust, and Yaxeni Oriquen to the first callout, Kyle and Cadeau still managed to quickly separate themselves from the field in the race for the $30,000 in first-place prize money.

With the evening event bringing the competitors to the much larger Orleans Arena stage, and notably different lighting, Kyle suddenly took on the look of a winner. Her detail was complete, and her routine left no guesswork in the completeness of her physique.

To her credit, Cadeau maintained her outstanding overall look from the prejudging with an evening posing routine that was strong on stage presence and confidence. Oddly, however, Cadeau distanced herself from Kyle during entire final posedown as if to put on a posing exhibition of her own. With the final round still being scored by the judges, Cadeau could have done herself an added favor by continuing to attach herself to Kyle's hip for every last possible comparison.

With Kyle competing in her ninth Ms. Olympia and Cadeau in her eighth this year, these two have bonded as friends, but each is still extremely pointed in the desire to win the top prize. Keeping in mind that Kyle is just 33 years of age, and Cadeau at 41, it is certain there will be several more head-to-head clashes between these two in the years to come. For Cadeau's effort as the runner-up, she pocketed $18,000.

Looking to make a strong comeback after a dismal seventh-place finish at the 2006 Ms. Olympia, Yaxeni Oriquen was back in stride and was very close to the look that brought her the 2005 Ms. O crown. Still, slightly short of the muscular hardness shown by Kyle and Cadeau, Oriquen meanwhile, has become one of the sport's finest posers and received significant crowd response for her stage work. Competing in her tenth Ms. Olympia (the most by any active pro) since entering the pro ranks in 1994, this stalwart Venezuelan has competed in 37 pro contests over the last 13 years - and she has no intention of stepping down from competition any time soon. For her third place finish, Oriquen earned $10,000.

Placing fourth was Lisa Aukland. Fresh from her victory at the Atlantic City Pro contest just two weeks earlier, Aukland moved up a spot from her fifth-place finish at last year's Ms. O. In an effort to maintain the sharp level of conditioning she achieved in her Atlantic City win, Aukland was a shade off here. But the reality was that even if she had brought the exact look to Las Vegas from her prior victory, it would not have been enough to unseat Oriquen from her third place perch. So the defending Atlantic City champion settled for fourth - her highest Ms. Olympia finish to date - and cheerfully accepted a check for $7,000.

Perhaps the most anticipated debut at this year's Ms. O came by way of 2006 NPC USA overall champion Heather Policky-Armbrust. Wasting little time after her USA win, Policky-Armbrust swept to victory at the Sacramento Pro contest just weeks before adding a third at the Ms. International early in the year. Those two placings firmly established her presence as a legitimate pro future star, and adds a solid player to the mix of those who will aspire to the Ms. O title in the coming years. Only 30, Policky-Armbrust is only getting started and with the eye-catching genetic blessings coupled with a finely-tuned diet, the sky's the limit. Policky-Armbrust's fifth-place finish in her Ms. O debut is a solid one considering Yaxeni Oriquen placed 10^th in her first two visits to the Ms. O, and Valentina Chipega finished 12^th in her first two Ms. O's. Both, of course, went on to win the coveted title. Policky-Armbrust collected $4,000 for her top-five finish.

Rounding out the top six prize money positions was Betty Pariso. Bringing yet another slightly different physique to the Ms. O (her sixth), the 51-year-old Pariso trimmed down her overall structure, dropped some size from her upper body, and streamlined her overall look. The effort brought her a distinctively younger overall appearance, and one the judges were drawn to. Looking more like a 40-year-old, it's anyone's guess just how long she can remain competitive at this level. One thing is certain she's clearly enjoying the ride. As the final prize money winner she earned a tidy $2,000.

ON THE CUSP

Just outside the top six, Canadian Nicole Ball made a sterling appearance in her Ms. Olympia debut. Winning the lightweight class at the Atlantic City Pro contest two weeks earlier, it was sheer coincidence that she ended up next to her Atlantic City heavyweight posedown partner Lisa Aukland in the Olympia lineup. As the smallest entrant in this field at just under 130 pounds, Ball more than held her own as the majority of her fellow Olympians outweighed her by as much as 30 pounds. In drawing a second callout in both prejudging rounds she managed to impress the judging panel with her pleasing lines and excellent level of physical conditioning.

The youngster of the field Sarah Dunlap also showed superb conditioning and at 27 has many more potential trips to this contest in her future. As the youngest-ever winner of the overall NPC National Championship title at 21, Dunlap has returned to top form after taking a few years away from competition.

Making a valiant and visually appealing return to the stage, Valentina Chepiga was radiant in her stage presence and showed a solid level of muscular conditioning overall. Formerly from Ukraine, Chipega was the 1997 IFBB World Amateur overall champion, and after winning the 2000 Ms. Olympia heavyweight title, she added the 2002 GNC Show of Strength lightweight crown.

For Annie Rivieccio, this year's Ms Olympia had a decidedly different tone. Visibly off the stellar muscular condition of last year when she found herself placing third, the sharpness simply wasn't present, and it dropped her outside the top six in a New York minute.

WOMENS BODYBUILDING PHOTO GALLERY