Rachel McLish
Rachel McLish | |
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Active | Retired 1984[2] |
Rachel Livia Elizondo McLish (born 21 June 1955) is an American female bodybuilding champion, actress, and author.[3][4]
Early life and education
McLish was born as Raquel Livia Elizondo in 1955 in
Bodybuilding career
Amateur
While attending college, McLish worked at a health club in McAllen, Texas. When she graduated from college, she and the health club manager formed a partnership and founded the Sport Palace Association in Harlingen. With the success of the Sport Palace Association, she opened two more facilities in Corpus Christi and Brownsville in 1980. She was inspired to compete in bodybuilding thanks to Lisa Lyon and the club manager, Javier Gutierrez, who would show her magazines of female bodybuilders and encourage her to compete. She decided to compete because the opening of her new health club would coincide with a women's bodybuilding contest and bodybuilding would give her a platform to promote fitness to women.[4][7][8]
Professional
McLish merits special historical significance in the sport of women’s bodybuilding. In 1980, she won the inaugural United States Championships, as well as beating Auby Paulick to win that year’s first-ever IFBB Ms. Olympia contest. After her 1980 Olympia win, no woman appeared on more magazine covers for the next five years. She got sponsored by Dynamics Health Equipment Manufacturing Corporation. These breakthrough victories, together with her visual appeal, brought women’s bodybuilding a further rush of media attention, which had been jump-started into action by Lisa Lyon.[1][2]
In a competitive career that spanned only four years, McLish proved a resilient force, never placing lower than third in any contest she entered. In 1981, she lost her Ms. Olympia title to
Retirement
After finishing second at the 1984 IFBB Ms. Olympia, McLish retired from competitive bodybuilding.[1][2]
Legacy
McLish was the first winner of the Ms. Olympia title. She is one of bodybuilding’s most recognizable personalities. In January 1999, she was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame.[1]
Contest history
- 1980 US Bodybuilding Championship – 1st
- 1980 Frank Zane Invitational – 2nd
- 1980 IFBB Ms. Olympia– 1st
- 1981 IFBB Ms. Olympia – 2nd
- 1982 Pro World Championship – 1st
- 1982 IFBB Ms. Olympia – 1st
- 1983 Caesars World Cup – 3rd
- 1984 IFBB Ms. Olympia – 2nd[2]
Personal life
McLish is a Christian and describes herself as a
Motion picture career
McLish was featured in the 1985 documentary Pumping Iron II: The Women which focused on her participation in the 1983 Caesar’s World Cup. She also acted in the movies Getting Physical (1984), Aces: Iron Eagle III (1992) and Raven Hawk (1996). These involved her acting the part of a physically strong woman. She was one of the first women to take such a role. She was also a star in Herb Alpert's 'Red Hot' music video.[11] She co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the fitness instructional video Shape Up (1982).
Author
McLish has authored two books on weight training for women that made the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g IFBB Rachel McLish [dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rachel McLish
- ^ Hispanic role in America [dead link]
- ^ a b c PBS project features bodybuilder McLish [dead link]
- ^ Rachel McLish Biography
- ^ Rachel McLish: Championing Strength and Grace in the World of Bodybuilding
- ^ Iron Magazine Rachel McLish
- ^ "Mitos do Bodybuilding: Rachel Mclish".
- ASIN B00A2PXD1G.
- ^ Ryon, Ruth (April 10, 2008). "Former Ms. Olympia Rachel McLish's Rancho Mirage home sold to Boston Red Sox player Coco Crisp". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008.
- ^ Herb Alpert Red Hot Video 1983. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11.