Can Iris Kyle Claim Her Sixth Ms. International Title?

Iris Kyle looks to make history by winning this contest for her sixth time. Her competitors have a different outcome in mind.

Can Iris Kyle Claim Her Sixth Ms. International Title?

The Ms. International has a strong field once again with Iris Kyle looking to make history. She's won this event five times and will go for a record sixth on Friday night. The defending champ, Kyle will have to fend off competitors Yaxeni Oriquen, Debi Laszewski, and others to win her sixth Ms. I. The prejudging takes place on the main expo stage and the finals will be on Friday evening at Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

Here's a rundown of the field in Columbus, ranked in alphabetical order:

Betty Viana-Adkins

Betty is a seasoned veteran and has been up and down in her placings. She has great structure but has missed her conditioning in previous competitions. Betty was outside of the top five in 2009 and she'll have a battle on her hands to make it into the top spots again this year. If she can return to what she brought to the stage earlier in her career, she could be in the mix based on her structure alone.

Maria Rita Bello

Maria was the 2010 Arnold Classic Amateur overall champ and received an automatic invite to the show with her win. The Argentina resident will have to shake off the jitters of being on stage for the first time as a pro. Despite this being her pro debut, Maria has been competing for over 10 years. She has some pretty big wheels on her 5'3" frame and she came in shredded to last year's amateur contest.

Look for her to bring a similar package back to Columbus again this year.

Dayana Cadeau

Dayana is no stranger to the Ms. International stage. This will be her 12th time competing in the prestigious event and she's won the lightweight class twice. There is only one weight class now but she is still able to hang with the heavyweights. Dayana has been hit or miss the last couple of years. She was sixth last year, fifth in 2009.

If she can bring back what we saw in 2008, when she lost to Yaxeni by two points, she'll be a top contender. Her biggest issue the last two years has been conditioning. We'll see if she's able to bring it all together this year.

Tina Chandler

Tina has been up and down in her placings and will look to make her presence known in her Ms. International debut. She has the upper body to hang with the top contenders but has lacked in the legs a bit in comparison with her upper body. She last competed at the 2010 Ms. Olympia where she was 8th. If she brings a similar package to Columbus, look for her to be sitting in about the same spot. If she's improved, she'll move up.

Mari Carmen Gomez Segura

Mari will be representing Mexico in the Ms. International. She took top honors at the IFBB North American Championships in 2007 and won the overall Arnold Amateur in 2008. She was at the bottom of the pack at the 2009 Ms. International and she'll likely be there again this year. She packs a ton of muscle on her short frame and her legs over power her upper body. If she's streamlined her physique a bit and balance her upper body with her lower, she could move up.

Sarah Hayes

The Texas Terminator has an upper body that is world class. She took home the overall crown at the 2010 NPC USAs and will be making her pro debut here. Sarah has one of the best backs in the competition but it'll take more than a big back to win here. Her weak point has been her legs and matching her upper body in terms of conditioning and size. If she's brought up her legs, she'll be a top five contender here. If the wheels are flat, she'll be on the outside looking in.

Iris Kyle

Can anyone beat the champ? Sure, but it'll take Iris being off. She's left a legacy on female bodybuilding and is virtually impossible to beat when in condition. If she takes top honors it will be her sixth Ms. International title, a record unmatched by anyone including the men. I'd wager on history being made at this year's Ms. International.

Debi Laszewski

Debi will be one to watch at this event. She found her stride at the 2009 Ms. International with a runner-up finish and she should be in the mix again this year. Look for her to be in a top callout if her conditioning matches what she's brought to the stage the last two years. I can't see her finishing out of a top three spot but we'll have to wait and see when the dust settles on Friday night.

Cathy LeFrancois

Cathy is definitely a fan favorite and understandably so. She has been a top contender for over a decade. She took top honors at the NY Pro but sat out the Olympia due to injury. She'll look to improve upon her 8th place finish at the 2009 International and definitely has the potential to be in the top five here.

Yaxeni Oriquen Garcia

Yaxeni is another veteran to the world of bodybuilding and this stage. She's been competing for over 20 years and this show marks her 14th consecutive invite to the Ms. International. She's won the event four times and certainly has the ability to add a fifth. She's coming off a runner-up finish at the Olympia to Iris and doesn't want to be her bridesmaid again here.

Jeannie Paparone

Jeannie has her work cut out for her to crack the top six in this line up. If she hopes to contend with the top dogs she'll need to bring her best conditioning to date. Her highest finish as a pro was the 2008 New York Pro, where she was the runner-up. She was 9th at the Olympia that year. If she can bring back a bit of what she had in '08 we might see her in the mix for that sixth place spot.

Alina Popa

Alina could be a dark horse in this line-up that few see coming. She was 8th place last year in her pro debut but it looks like she's been busting her butt in the offseason from the photos that she's shared on her blog (http://www.alinapopaifbbpro.blogspot.com). If she can bring in a conditioned physique we could see her in the top six. Alina will make the trip from Europe and will certainly represent Switzerland well.

Antoinette Thompson

We can certainly count on an entertaining routine from Antoinette at the finals. She struggles to hang with the top contenders in a show like this, mainly do to her size but she also misses her conditioning more often than not.

Isabelle Turell

Isabelle has withdrawn from the competition.

You can purchase tickets to this event at: Ticketmaster.com

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