At the time of writing, the Wellness division is the newest addition to the IFBB Pro League and Olympia Weekend contest lineup.
The fans received the inaugural Wellness Olympia with great enthusiasm during the 57th edition of Joe Weider’s Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend.
Francielle Mattos, the inaugural Wellness Olympia champion in 2021, had dominated the division with three consecutive victories. However, the 2024 Olympia saw a new champion crowned as Isabelle Nunes dethroned Mattos to claim her first Olympia title.
This article shines a spotlight on the Wellness Olympia champions and delves into the division’s history.
All Wellness Olympia Winners Since 2021
The Wellness division favors athletes with more body mass in the hips, glutes, and thigh areas. It is no surprise that South American, especially Brazillian, ladies are at the helm of this division.
Francielle Mattos reigned supreme in the Wellness division since its 2021 Olympia debut, but Isabelle Nunes’s 2024 victory marked a thrilling changing of the guard. These two athletes represent the gold standard of the division, inspiring competitors worldwide.
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| Name | Years | Wins |
| Francielle Mattos | 2021, 2022, and 2023 | 3 |
| Isabelle Nunes | 2024 | 1 |
2021–2023: Francielle Mattos
Before the Wellness division was born, Mattos competed in the Fitness division. She competed at the 2019 Arnold Amateur South America in the Fitness division and secured a gold medal.
Mattos transitioned to the Wellness division when it was introduced by the IFBB Pro League. Mattos kept to her winning ways and emerged victorious at the very first contest she entered as a Wellness athlete — the 2020 Arnold Amateur, securing her Pro card in the process.
Mattos emerged victorious at her first Pro show in the Wellness divisions — the 2020 IFBB Musclecontest Nacional Pro. Mattos also won the Overall Arnold Ohio in 2020 and Miss Olympia Brazil in 2019, earning her direct qualification to the debut Wellness Olympia contest in 2021. The rest, as they say, is history.
2021: Orlando, FL
- First — Francielle Mattos
- Second — Angela Borges
- Third — Isabella Nunes
With her spotless track record, Mattos entered the 2021 Olympia as a frontrunner to win the show. The other favorite was Angela Borges, the first Wellness athlete to earn an Olympia qualification by winning the 2020 IFBB Europa Pro Championships.
Borges and Mattos got a tough fight from a much-shorter Isabella Nunes at the inaugural Wellness Olympia. Nunes packs considerable size in her lower body, which makes her stand out from the pack.
When the dust settled, it was Mattos who continued her winning streak and had the Wellness Olympia trophy hoisted overhead.
2022: Las Vegas, NV
- First — Francielle Mattos
- Second — Isabelle Nunes
- Third — Angela Borges
After the success of the Wellness Division at the Olympia Weekend, the Arnold Classic USA added the contest to its roster in 2022. Isabelle Nunes made headlines by winning the first-ever Wellness International title at the 2022 AC. This win also made her the biggest threat to Mattos’ Olympia throne at the 2022 Olympia.
Post the 2021 Olympia and 2022 AC, the athletes had a better idea of what the judges wanted from the Wellness division athletes, making the 2022 Olympia a much more intense battle. Each athlete brought their A-game to the Olympia, but Mattos successfully defended her title, making her the first multi-time Wellness Olympia champ in the sport’s history.
While the same athletes from 2021 repeated on the podium in 2022, Nunes stepped up to take Borges’ spot as the second-place finisher.
2023: Orlando, FL
- First — Francielle Mattos
- Second — Isabelle Nunes
- Third — Elisa Alcantara
Mattos was the favorite to three-peat at the 2023 Olympia. Mattos’ place as the frontrunner was further confirmed when several IFBB Pro League officials, including Vice President Tyler Manion, touted her as the ideal figure for the Wellness division.
The 2023 Wellness Olympia was nonetheless very exciting as the 2022 Olympia runner-up Nunes had vacated her Arnold Classic throne due to knee issues. Although Nunes had confirmed that she would compete at the 2023 Olympia, no one knew if she could bring her best package, considering the lower body joint issues she was tackling. However, Nunes delivered on her promises and was awarded a silver medal.
Mattos looked in control from the moment she stepped on stage at the 2023 Olympia and won the highest honors in the division for the third consecutive year.
Angela Borges sat out the 2023 Olympia, opening up a spot for a fresh face on the Wellness Olympia podium. Elisa Alcantara of the Dominican Republic snagged the opportunity and became the first non-Brazilian athlete to podium at the Wellness Olympia.
Although the depth of the lineup increases each year at the Wellness Olympia, Mattos has consistently shown that she is willing to improve her physique each year to stay one step ahead of the competition.
2024: Isabelle Nunes
Nunes had been on Mattos heels ever since the first edition of the Wellness Olympia. However, her breakthrough year came in 2024, when she outclassed Mattos with her better shape and overall balance. It was Mattos’ first loss ever since turning pro, signifying the magnitude of this change of guard.
2024: Las Vegas, NV
- First — Isabelle Nunes
- Second — Francielle Mattos
- Third — Eduarda Bezerra
Wellness Division Rules
According to NPC News Online, the Wellness division is for “females with athletic physiques that showcase more body mass in the hips, glutes and thigh areas.” This division is a hit among athletes and fans as women tend to store more body fat in the lower body than men.
Women from South America and Africa are genetically predisposed to have larger lower bodies. They are at a disadvantage in the Bikini division that mandates a proportionate upper and lower body.
The Bikini division is considered the beauty pageant of the IFBB Pro League, where the athletes are judged on muscle balance, shape, and overall appearance, including their walk, hair, skin tone, complexion, and poise.
The IFBB Pro League introduced the Wellness division for women with genetically thicker lower bodies who didn’t want to compete in the more traditional bodybuilding divisions, such as Women’s Open, Figure, Women’s Physique, or even Fitness.
In the Wellness division, the judges look for muscle size, shape, and separation in the hips, glutes, quads, and hamstrings.
The Wellness division is an extension of the Bikini division. While Wellness athletes should have significantly greater lower body muscle mass, their upper bodies should align with the Bikini standards. Plus, while the glute-hamstring separation is ideal, too much separation and definition in any other muscle group is highly discouraged in the Wellness division.
The winners of the other divisions:
- Every 212 Olympia Winner Since 2008 (and History of the Division)
- Every Classic Physique Olympia Winner Since 2016
- Every Bikini Olympia Winner Since 2010
- Every Fitness Olympia Winner Since 1995
- Every Wheelchair Olympia Winner Since 2018
- Every Mr. Olympia (Men’s Open Division) Winner Since 1965
- Every Women’s Physique Olympia Winner Since 2013
- Every Figure Olympia Winner Since 2003
- Every Men’s Physique Olympia Winner Since 2013
- Every Ms. Olympia Winner Since 1980 (and History of the Division)
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