Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls (born April 23, 1968) is an American professional

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, fitness, and figure competitor.

Early life and education

Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls (born Kim Chizevsky) was born in 1968 in

Charleston, Illinois Charleston is a city in, and the county seat of, Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,286, as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor, Mattoon. Both are p ...

, the elder of two children. In 1970, the family moved and raised her in Decatur. While attending the E.J. Muffley Elementary School, she engaged in sports such as basketball, volleyball and cheerleading. While attending the Eisenhower High School, she was a multi-sport star there. In addition to participating in volleyball, basketball, and cheerleading, she ran the 100, 400, 800 relay, and mile relay, threw the shot and discus, and did the long jump. Upon graduation from high school in 1986, she then attended

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

for three years, where she studied legal and medical secretarial services and worked as a

paralegal A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals i ...

with the law firm Baird, McCarthy and Rowden. While in college, she joined the dance squad and participated in aerobics.

Bodybuilding career

Amateur

In 1988, she began dating Chad Nicholls. At the time, she was an aerobics instructor, but Nicholls directed her towards bodybuilding. After three months under Chad's instructions, Chizevsky-Nicholls, weighing at , placed second in the lightheavyweight class in the 1989 NPC Jr. Tri State. With the exception of the 1989 NPC Jr. Tri State and 1989 AAU Central USA, Chizevsky-Nicholls would place 1st in every amateur bodybuilding competition she attended. Chizevsky-Nicholls earned her pro card by winning the 1992 IFBB North American Championship, competing at .

Professional

1993-1995

In her 1993 pro debut, Chizevsky-Nicholls attended her first pro competition, the

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 ...

, which she won. In November 1993, she attended her first

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 ...

, where she placed fifth. At the 1994 Ms. International, she would place fifth. In 1995, she placed second at the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia.

1996-1999

In 1996, Chizevsky-Nicholls would win the Ms. International and dethroned the Ms. International champion,

Laura Creavalle Laura Cordelia Creavalle is a Guyanese-born Canadian/American professional female bodybuilder. Early life and education Laura Creavalle was born in 1959 in British Guiana. She migrated to Canada at the age of 13. She attended both Industrial Hig ...

. Also in 1996, she would unseat six-time Ms. Olympia defending champion,

Lenda Murray Lenda Murray (born February 22, 1962) is an American professional female bodybuilding champion. Early life and education Murray was born in 1962 in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Darcelious and Louvelle Murray. She began participating in orga ...

. This was the first time a pro female bodybuilder would win both the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia in the same year. She would retain her Ms. Olympia title in 1997 against Lenda Murry, who retired afterwards. At the 1997 Ms. Olympia, she competed at . In 1998 and 1999, she would win both Ms. Olympia competitions.

Retirement

Chizevsky-Nicholls decided to retire from bodybuilding after winning the 1999 Ms. Olympia.

Legacy

Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls is regarded as one of the greatest and most muscular female bodybuilders of all time. She was the first female bodybuilder to win both the Ms. International and Olympia in the same year in 1996. She ranks as the best

female bodybuilder Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.

in the IFBB Pro Women's Bodybuilding Ranking List until October 22, 2000. In January 2008, Chizevsky 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 McLi ...

Contest history

* 1989 Tri-State Bodybuilding (Illinois) - 2nd (LHW) * 1989 AAU Illinois - 1st (Tall) * 1989 AAU Central USA - 2nd (Tall) * 1990 NPC Tri-State - 1st (HW) * 1990 AAU Southern Illinois - 1st (Tall) * 1990 AAU Illinois - 1st (Overall) * 1990 AAU Central USA - 1st (Overall) * 1991 NPC Continental USA - 1st (Overall) * 1991 MPC Midwest Grand Prix - 1st (Overall) * 1992 NPC Junior Nationals - 1st (HW and overall) * 1992 IFBB North American Championship - 1st (HW and overall) * 1993 IFBB

- 1st * 1993 IFBB

- 5th * 1994 IFBB Ms. International - 5th * 1995 IFBB Ms. International - 2nd * 1995 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 2nd * 1996 IFBB Ms. International - 1st * 1996 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 1st * 1997 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 1st * 1998 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 1st * 1999 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 1st

Fitness career

Chizevsky-Nicholls gave up much of her muscle gains and began competing in fitness competitions in 2001, but with only limited success.

Contest history

* 2001 IFBB Fitness International - 6th * 2002 Southwest Pro Fitness - 4th

Figure career

Five months after giving birth to her first son, Chizevsky-Nicholls began competing in figure, but again with only limited success.

Contest history

* 2003 IFBB Show of Strength Pro Championship - 9th * 2004 IFBB Show of Strength Pro Championship - 7th

Personal life

In May 1993, Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls married Chad Nicholls. They currently live in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

, with two children.

Television appearance

In July 1995, Chizevsky-Nicholls appeared on Geraldo, along with

Bill Dobbins Bill Dobbins (born 1943) is an American photographer who specializes in bodybuilding, physique and fitness photography. In particular, Dobbins is well known for his work in photographing female bodybuilders and has published two books of images ...

, Debbie Muggli,

Sharon Bruneau Sharon Leigh Bruneau (born February 1, 1964) is a model and retired professional Canadian female bodybuilder and fitness competitor. Early life and education Bruneau, a French-Canadian Métis, was born in the mining city of Timmins, Ontario and ...

, Debbie Kruck,

Sha-ri Pendleton Sha-ri Pendleton (born December 5, 1963) is an American hurdler, javelin thrower, and bodybuilder of the mid-to-late 1980s. Under the stage name Blaze, she competed as a gladiator on the American TV show '' American Gladiators'' from 1989-92. Bi ...

, and Nikki Fuller. The 2000 documentary

Bodybuilders Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

dealing with female bodybuilding and specifically concentrates on Ms. Olympia and the rapid changes that happened to the sport from 1980 to 2000, with Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls being featured and interviewed in the film.

Motion picture appearance

In 2000, Chizevsky-Nicholls appeared in '' The Cell'', which starred

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

. According to director

Tarsem Singh Tarsem Singh Dhandwar (born 26 May 1961), known professionally as Tarsem, is an Indian director who has worked on films, music videos, and commercials. He directed ''The Cell (film), The Cell'' (2000), ''The Fall (2006 film), The Fall'' (2006, ...

's DVD audio commentary, the character she played was originally listed in the script simply as "helper", so Tarsem asked the production designer what disturbs him. So, he replied that “Those women that work out,” so he added her. Tarsem was concerned the audience might think she was a man in drag, so they gave her prosthetic breasts.

Notes

External links

Official web site
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Juliette Bergmann Juliette Bergmann (previously Meijer) (born November 30, 1958) is a Dutch female bodybuilding champion. Early years and education Bergmann (born Juliette Maria Suzanna Bergmann) was born in Vlaardingen, Netherlands, from a Dutch mother and a ...

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Anja Schreiner Anja Schreiner is a professional female bodybuilder from Germany. Bodybuilding career Amateur She began lifting weights to combat scoliosis in her adolescence. Professional Anja won a narrow victory at the 1991 Ms. International, when she topped ...

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Yolanda Hughes Yolanda R. Hughes-Heying (born October 30, 1963) is an American professional female bodybuilding, female bodybuilder from the United States. Biography Yolanda Hughes-Heying (born Yolanda Hughes) was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on October 30 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chizevsky-Nicholls, Kim 1968 births Actresses from Illinois Actresses from Missouri American female bodybuilders Fitness and figure competitors Living people People from Carbondale, Illinois People from Charleston, Illinois Sportspeople from Decatur, Illinois People from Jackson County, Illinois People from Macon County, Illinois Professional bodybuilders Southern Illinois University alumni Sportspeople from Missouri Sportspeople from Springfield, Missouri 21st-century American women