Natalia Kovaleva won the 2023 New York Pro women’s bodybuilding title, and she’s now qualified for the 2023 Ms. Olympia contest in Orlando, FL on the weekend of Nov. 2-5. Fans that want to see her and the rest of the best bodies in the world can go to www.mrolympia.com for ticket information. For now, Kovaleva is celebrating her win, and part of those festivities included joining Isabell Turell on The Fit Rockstar Show. Turell asked her about the feeling of leaving the stage as the champion.
“It made me happy on the first day, but on the second day, I just woke up and nothing changed in my life.”
The connection to the New York Pro is a deep one for Kovaleva because the first bodybuilding magazine that she saw in 2002 featured Markus Ruhl, who had won in New York. The fact that she won this show 21 years later isn’t lost on her, but she didn’t simply do this show for that reason. She came to win.
“When I was a kid, I hadn’t even dreamed about that, but when I was preparing for competition, I know that I’m coming for first place.”
Now the conversation around the Ms. Olympia contest. Three-time defending champion Andrea Shaw has dominated her sport since 2020, and no one has appeared to come close to challenging her. Some fans feel that Kovaleva could change that. While she appreciates the conversations, she’s not letting it get to her head.
“People have started talking about Andrea and the Olympia, but it’s not changing my personality.”
Whether she wins or not is still to be determined, but Kovaleva will make history as the first Russian Ms. Olympia competitor. That alone is a great honor for her. Could she be the first Russian Ms. Olympia champion as well?
“I think I can be. I think I can win.”
Go to the Olympia TV YouTube channel to see the full interview, which covers her training, background into the sport, and a lot more. You can catch new episodes of The Fit Rockstar Show every Saturday at 12 noon Eastern time.
