Dana Shemesh, Israel’s top female professional bodybuilder, will compete at the Olympia Masters 2023 on August 26 in Cluj Napoca, Romania, coming out of retirement.

The last Olympia was held in 2012 and this year’s event will welcome the first Israeli woman to have competed in the prestigious IFBB PRO (International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation), considered the foremost governing body in the sport.

In 2020, the Israeli athlete announced her retirement after years of competing. But she reversed her decision, and will compete in the August event.

“This is a dream; a lifetime opportunity that I simply couldn’t let pass. It’s a huge honor to be selected and qualified to the biggest stage of bodybuilding in the world and as the first and only Israeli woman to compete on this stage,” she said.

To compete at the event, one has to be a professional athlete over 40 years old, selected and qualified by the IFBB Pro. In her particular division, “Women’s Bodybuilding,” the competitors have to be over 45.

“I’m a big girl with a big dream” she smiles.

Shemesh said that she “never stopped lifting weights; bodybuilding is my passion and my lifestyle.” She works as a personal trainer in Miami, and said, “I took on myself a big challenge to compete in the Olympia Masters after my retirement, but I know I can do it. I’ve kept myself in good shape. I still have a six pack and all kept my muscle mass even though I’m retired. That’s why I can achieve competition shape in such a short time. I have a few months to prepare for this. I’m confident.”

The 47-year-old revealed that she gets a lot of requests for personal and online training, and has male and female clients of all age ranges in her roster. Shemesh added that she “cares about her clients’ health and well-being more than they care for themselves sometimes.”

She got her US citizenship in August of last year. “I got it as a professional athlete. Some people marry for citizenship or don’t earn it the right way — but I worked hard for it. I earned it,” she said

Shemesh was born and raised in  Jerusalem, and grew up in Armon Anatsiv. She is of Iraqi and Polish Jewish descent. She highly recommends lifting weights for both men and women. “Weight training is the best anti-aging [medicine]. In fact, it’s something that anyone of any age will benefit from. You’re never too old to start and improve your quality of your life, and I would be happy to help [anyone].”

There is $229,000 in total prize money that is allotted for the winners of the 10 different divisions of the competition.

“This is going to be a historic event and a dream come true. That is why I made the decision to return,” she said.

“It is an honor just to stand on this stage, whatever the result. I will do my best as always to represent my country Israel with honor on the biggest bodybuilding stage in the world,” she added.

You can follow her journey on her Instagram.

Avi Kumar is a Holocaust historian/journalist from Sri Lanka. He has lived in many countries and speaks 11 languages. He has written about a variety of topics in publications worldwide. 

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