Monday, October 3, 2011

Top Strong Woman - Andrulla Blanchette (British female bodybuilder and fitness model)

Andrulla Blanchette (born July 29, 1966) is a British female bodybuilder and fitness model.

Andrulla is a 1st Dan black belt in judo, having started out in the sport at age 11. Before that she loved to grapple with the boys in the neighbourhood out on the streets near her home. She made the British junior squad and even wanted to try out for the Olympic Games. She decided to start lifting weights only to help her out in her judo, but quickly realized that she was extremely strong for her size. She also developed her body at a prodigious rate.

Her most notable bodyparts are her arms (in 1996, at a bodyweight of 145 lb, they measured 17 inches) and her traps, which she says developed large and early from a former training partner and boyfriend who had her lifting heavy right from the start. At a height of 5'3", her contest bodyweight has typically been around 135 lb.

In 1996, Andrulla was named Women's Physique World's European Bodybuilder of the Year. She won the Ms. Olympia lightweight title in 2000, and just missed retaining the title the following year. Recently in 2002 Blanchette was schedule to compete Ms. International, but was disqualified on Thursday night for not signing a contract to compete.

Andrulla lives on Long Island in New York with her husband: Richard Baron Cohen, the owner of the world famous Twinight Collection of early 19th century neo-classical porcelain and portrait miniatures, her dog Swansea, and Macaw parrot Joey. She spends most of her time playing the game of Chess. Her plan is to become a Chess Master and compete at the international level.