Carla Dunlap-Kaan (born October 22, 1954) is a professional
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
female bodybuilding
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions. champion.
Early life and education
Dunlap was born in 1954, in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.[gymnastics
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...]
at age 10. She later competed in
swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...
, both speed and
synchronized. Dunlap attended the
Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts
Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art (NSFIA) was a city-run vocational and art school in Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 1882 as the Evening Drawing School, its name was changed in 1909 to the Fawcett School of Industrial Arts, and changed agai ...
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
The IFBB Ms. Olympia is both the highest ranking professional female bodybuilding competition and the title of the winner of the competition. It was first organized in 1980, and was held as part of the Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance ...
contest (she had lost the Ms. Olympia to
Rachel McLish
Rachel Livia Elizondo McLish (born 21 June 1955) is an American female bodybuilding champion, actress, and author.
Early life and education
McLish was born as Raquel Livia Elizondo in 1955 in Harlingen, Texas, the second-youngest daughter born. ...
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 The IFBB Hall of Fame was established in 1999 to honor outstanding athletes and officials in the sport of bodybuilding. There have been no inductees since 2011.
Induction years
1999
*Carla Dunlap
*Cory Everson
*John Grimek
* Lee Haney
* Rachel Mc ...
. In June 2009, she was inducted in to the AOBS Hall Of Fame (Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen)
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
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
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
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
's ''
BodyShaping
''BodyShaping'' is an American fitness and exercise television series that has shown on ESPN, with segments on weight training, cardiovascular exercise, stretching and nutrition. It was in production from 1988 to 1998, and has been in reruns ever ...
'' series from 1990 to 1995. She has also appeared as a color commentator on bodybuilding and fitness telecasts for
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
,
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, and
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
.
Contest history
*1979
IFBB Best In The World - 5th
*1980 AAU Ms. America #1 - 1st
*1980 Eastern Cup - 1st
*1980 Ms. Atlantic Shore - 2nd
*1980 Bodybuilding Expo I - 1st
*1980
NPC USA Championship - 9th
*1980 NPC Nationals - 3rd
*1981
World Games I - 4th (MW)
*1981 NPC USA Championship - 2nd (HW)
*1981 NPC Nationals - 1st (HW and Overall)
*1981 Pro World Championship - 4th
*1981 Night of Champions - 1st
*1982 Super Bowl of Bodybuilding I - 1st
*1982 AFWB American Championships - 1st (HW and Overall)
*1982 Swedish Grand Prix - 1st
*1982 NPC USA Championship - 2nd (HW)
*1982 NPC Nationals - 1st (HW and Overall)
*1982 IFBB
Ms. Olympia
The IFBB Ms. Olympia is both the highest ranking professional female bodybuilding competition and the title of the winner of the competition. It was first organized in 1980, and was held as part of the Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance ...
- 2nd
*1982 Pro World Championship - 1st
*1983 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 1st
*1983 IFBB Caesars World Cup (Grand Prix Las Vegas) - 1st
*1984 Pro World Championship - 2nd
*1984 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 4th
*1985 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 4th
*1986 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 9th
*1987 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 12th
*1988 Pro World Championship - 10th
*1988 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 9th (originally 10th)
*1993
Ms. International The Ms. International female bodybuilding contest was considered to be the second-most prestigious competition for female bodybuilders (second only to the Ms. Olympia competition), from its inception in 1986 through 2013. It was first held in 1 ...
- 13th
References
External links
Official web site
, colspan = 3 align = center ,
Ms. Olympia
The IFBB Ms. Olympia is both the highest ranking professional female bodybuilding competition and the title of the winner of the competition. It was first organized in 1980, and was held as part of the Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance ...
, -
, width = 30% align = center , Preceded by:
Rachel McLish
Rachel Livia Elizondo McLish (born 21 June 1955) is an American female bodybuilding champion, actress, and author.
Early life and education
McLish was born as Raquel Livia Elizondo in 1955 in Harlingen, Texas, the second-youngest daughter born. ...
, width = 40% align = center , First (1983)
, width = 30% align = center , Succeeded by:
Cory Everson
Corinna "Cory" Everson ( née Kneuer; born January 4, 1958) is an American female bodybuilding champion and actress. Everson won the Ms. Olympia contest six years in a row from 1984 to 1989.
Education
Corinna Kneuer was born in Racine, Wiscons ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunlap-Kaan, Carla
1954 births
Living people
Professional bodybuilders
African-American female bodybuilders
21st-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women
20th-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American women