Keizerite headed to Ms. Olympia competition

After taking first place in lightweight division of the Southwest Pro Cup Bodybuilding Championships last weekend, Keizer's Mah Ann Mendoza will travel to Las Vegas in October to compete for the Ms. Olympia title.

"The Ms. Olympia title is the highest honor for any bodybuilder," said Mendoza. "It's just hard to believe I'm going. Someone from Keizer, of all places."

Mendoza, 44, started out as an aerobics instructor, but switched her focus to bodybuilding in the 1990s. She earned her pro card from the International Federation of Bodybuilders in 2001 allowing her compete at the highest levels of the sport.

Dressed in street clothes, Mendoza looks petite and fit, but most would be surprised to find a world-class physique beneath them.

"This is really an amazing thing. I'm surprised, but I was also confident that I was going to win. This is something I've been working toward for years," she said.

When Mendoza isn't competing, she trains clients at her Keizer gym, Mah Ann's Pro Fitness, on River Road. She also counsels students as far flung as the Eastern seaboard. She is a certified personal trainer and a massage therapist.

Born in the Philippines, Mendoza moved to the Salem-Keizer area at the age of 17 and that's where she still chooses to make her home. She said she just enjoys the slower pace in Keizer and the way it contrasts with the rest of her life.

This will be Mendoza's first appearance at the Ms. Olympia competition.

"It's like the Superbowl of bodybuilding and it's the zenith of my competitive career," she said.

The Ms. Olympia competition will be held at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Oct. 29. The competition will feature top bodybuilders from around the world. California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, held the men' title, Mr. Olympia, from 1970 to 1975 and recaptured it again in 1980.