Valentina Chepiga

Valentina Chepiga, more precisely Valentyna Chepiha (Ukrainian: Валентина Чепіга; born April 27, 1962) is a professional female bodybuilder.

Valentina Chepiga
Bodybuilder
Valentina Chepiga doing a front double bicep guest pose at the Mr. and Ms. Muscle Beach bodybuilding competition held on 4 July 2004 in Venice Beach.
Personal info
Born (1962-04-27) April 27, 1962
Kharkiv, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1]
Weight(In Season): 126–128 lb (57–58 kg)
(Off-Season): 135–143 lb (61–65 kg)
Professional career
Pro-debut
Best win
  • IFBB Ms. Olympia Champion (heavyweight)
  • 2000
PredecessorNone
SuccessorIris Kyle
ActiveSince 1993

Background

Valentina graduated from the Kharkiv National University of Construction and Architecture with a degree in Gas Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning.[1] Between 1979 and 1992 she worked first as a technician, and then was promoted to engineer.[2]

Bodybuilding career

Amateur

Valentina began bodybuilding in 1988,[1] and in 1992 she changed careers and became a personal trainer. Valentina won the European and World Amateur title in 1997 and won her IFBB pro card.[1]

Professional

She then made her professional debut at the 1998 Ms. Olympia contest, finishing in 12th place. Her greatest success as a professional has been winning the heavyweight class at the 2000 Ms. Olympia the first time that class was introduced to the Ms. Olympia. No overall winner was named for that show, so she was essentially co-Ms. Olympia with lightweight class winner Andrulla Blanchette. In 2002, she took part in Ms. International, where she won the lightweight class. After a three-year break from competition, Chepiga returned to the stage at the 2007 Ms. Olympia, placing eleventh.

Legacy

Currently, she is the most successful Ukrainian bodybuilder in the world, by being the only Ukrainian to win the Ms. Olympia.[3] From October 22, 2000 to October 26, 2001 she ranked 1st on the IFBB Women's Bodybuilding Professional Ranking List.[4][5]

Contest history

Personal life

She moved to Kyiv, Ukraine in 1993, and then to the United States in 1999,[2] settling in Seattle, Washington. Valentina now lives in Anchorage, Alaska.

References
  1. "Валентина Чепига" (in Russian). Ambal.ru. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  2. "Ms. Olympia from the Ukraine "I'll beat Cancer!"". Digital Muscle. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  3. "История федерации" (in Russian). ФББУ. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21.
  4. "IFBB Women's Bodybuilding Professional Ranking List 2000". getbig.com. Archived from the original on 2000-11-15.
  5. "IFBB Women's Bodybuilding Professional Ranking List 2001". getbig.com. Archived from the original on 2001-12-07.
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