Photo Credit: Mike Yurkovic
2011 was the year people really started taking notice of Alina Popa. At least in my mind anyway. That's the year where it to me became apparent that Alina was destined to be one of the great's of female bodybuilding. She took fifth place at the Olympia that year but you could easily have made the argument she was top two. She quickly became popular. The following year she took an even better package on stage and took 3rd at the Arnold Classic and moved up a spot to fourth place at the Olympia. People began to realize that Alina had everything it took to eventually take home the sport's biggest crown.
Photo Credit: JM Manion/NPC News Online
Then came 2013. Alina returned again to the Olympia stage and took second place and many made the argument she should have won. It's a subjective sport, and the opinions were different, but the differed only on one thing, was it Alina Popa or was it Iris Kyle. But even if you thought it was Iris over Alina, you still knew Alina Popa was a legit contender to being the absolute number one female bodybuilder in the world. 2014 it came down to the same as the year before, Iris vs Alina. Once again the judges gave it to Iris, but this year, there were even more people being vocal believing Alina deserved that win. Her popularity was growing as evidenced but our own annual awards where year after year Alina was winning the voting for Voters Favorite as well as Competitors Favorite, meaning even her fellow competitors were saying Alina was their favorite.
Alina did not compete in 2015 and returned in 2016. Only this time, with there not being female bodybuilding at the Olympia, she stepped on stage at what is now the sport's biggest prize, the Rising Phoenix. Alina had a new batch of challengers, a changing of the guard was taking place as new people were stepping up competing for the best, people like Margie Martin, Helle Trevino and Sheila Bleck. Alina finished a very respectable third place. A small step back from her second place Olympia finishes, but at the same time, it might have been the best field of competitors she'd ever faced. Alina also regained her throne as the possibly most popular bodybuilder in the world.
Photo Credit: Mike Yurkovic
However in 2017 she once again was away from the stage, not competing the whole year. But how's this for an example of her popularity, she wasn't eligible since she didn't compete but she still received the most votes in our annual awards for Voters Favorite Competitor. She couldn't win due to not competing but if our rules were different, she would have won that award without even competing.
But fans were made happy this August as Alina returned to the stage at the Tampa Pro and not only did she return, she looked absolutely better than ever and took a first place finish in a field of fifteen of the best in the world. There were some great competitor's on that stage and Alina walked away with the win. Fans are surely hoping Alina will be active and be on stage often as she still has the potential and ability to go down as one of the all-time greats.
Photo Credit: JM Manion/NPC News Online
Why is Alina Popa so popular. I've been told by fellow competitor's that they like Alina because in a sport that is sometimes called selfish, Alina is very friendly, doesn't have an ego and is easy to like. Fans like her because obviously her physique is always on point but Alina also is one example of how muscle on a woman can be beautiful, she helps to destroy the "muscle looks manly" myth that some ignorantly have. Alina definitely has the ability to become a Hall-Of-Fame bodybuilder but she is already a Hall-Of-Fame personality that most bodybuilding fans will always root for.
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