Carla Dunlap

Carla Dunlap
— Bodybuilder —
Personal info
Born (1954-10-22) October 22, 1954
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Height 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Weight 126 lb (57 kg)
Professional career
Pro-debut Best In The World ☺, 1979
Best win IFBB Ms. Olympia Champion, 1983
Predecessor Rachel McLish
Successor Cory Everson
Active Retired 1993

Carla Dunlap (born October 22, 1954) is a professional American female bodybuilding champion.[1]

Early life and education

Dunlap was born in 1954 in Newark, New Jersey. She started competing in sports with gymnastics at age 10. She later competed in swimming, both speed and synchronized. Dunlap attended the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts on a full scholarship, earning a degree in Advertising Design. She won the gold medal in synchronized swimming in the 1977 Junior National Team Championships, and a bronze medal at the inaugural National Sports Festival in 1978.

Bodybuilding career

In 1979, Dunlap decided to enter the "Best in the World" bodybuilding contest at the suggestion of Steve Wennerstrom. She had never trained for bodybuilding, but still placed fifth among 45 entrants. She started training seriously for bodybuilding the following March, and was soon competing successfully in top level amateur contests. She won the NPC Nationals in 1981 and 1982. Her most successful year of competition was 1983 when she won three pro shows, including the Ms. Olympia contest (she had lost the Ms. Olympia to Rachel McLish by two points in 1982). In addition to her individual accomplishments, Dunlap won the World Professional Mixed Pairs title in 1984 and 1988 with Tony Pearson. Dunlap is the only female bodybuilder to have competed in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. In January, 1999, Dunlap was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame.

Away from the contest stage, Dunlap appeared in the bodybuilding documentaries Women Of Iron (1984, with fellow competitor Deborah Diana) and Pumping Iron II: The Women (1985). She was selected by ABC to represent women's bodybuilding in the women's Superstars competition in 1984, where she finished seventh in a field of eleven competitors. Dunlap was a regular on ESPN's BodyShaping series from 1990 to 1995. She has also appeared as a color commentator on bodybuilding and fitness telecasts for NBC, U.S., and ESPN.

Contest history

References

  1. ↑ Bennett, Michael; Dickerson, Vanessa D. (2001). Recovering the Black Female Body: Self-representations by African American Women. Rutgers University Press. p. 269. ISBN 9780813528397. Retrieved 26 September 2014.

External links

Ms. Olympia
Preceded by:
Rachel McLish		 First (1983) Succeeded by:
Cory Everson
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