Juliette Bergmann
| Juliette Bergmann | |
|---|---|
| — Bodybuilder — | |
| Personal info | |
| Born |
November 30, 1958 Vlaardingen, Netherlands |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) |
| Weight | (In Season): 129–133 lb (59–60 kg) (Off-Season): 140–145 lb (64–66 kg) |
| Professional career | |
| Pro-debut | IFBB Ms. Olympia, 1985 |
| Best win | IFBB Ms. Olympia champion (lightweight and overall), 2001 |
| Predecessor |
Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls Andrulla Blanchette |
| Successor |
Lenda Murray Dayana Cadeau |
| Active | Retired 2003 |
Juliette Bergmann (previously Meijer) (born November 30, 1958) is a Dutch female bodybuilding champion.
Bergmann (born Juliette Maria Suzanna Bergmann) was born in Vlaardingen, Netherlands, from a Dutch mother and an Indonesian father. She is one of five children, with one older brother, two younger brothers and one younger sister (three brothers and one sister). Her younger sister is a bodybuilder much like herself. During her childhood she lost two brothers, causing much grief to her mother, who laid a larger responsibility on Juliette, the oldest living child. That period in her life, she believes, made her a disciplined and responsible person.
After finishing school she went on to study financial management, journalism and fitness training. She got married (married name – Meijer) in 1975, but divorced in 1985.
She began training in bodybuilding to lose weight in 1981 with her ex-husband after attending a female bodybuilding contest where she got a very good impression of the competitors. In 1982, she would enter her first competition, where she placed first. In 1983, she decided to become a bodybuilder after she visited a bodybuilding contest in 1983 and noticed how good the girls looked.
In 1984, she won the Dutch National Championship and repeated as champion in 1985. Later that same year she qualified for the World Amateur Championship, where she achieved first place. By the end of 1985 she competed in her first Ms. Olympia, but did poorly with a 14th placing. However, she achieved significant success in 1986 by winning the Pro World Championship, placing second (by one point) in the Ms. International, and sixth in the Ms. Olympia. At the 1988 World Pro Championships, just an hour before the show, she was told that she tested positive in the drug test and wad disqualified. After 1989, she planned to take a year off from competition and compete again in 1991, but her plans were derailed when she suffered a badly broken ankle from a (Doberman) dog attack. She was not able to train seriously again for a couple of years. Since 1991, she has been a pro-judge and secretary/treasurer of the NBBF (Dutch Bodybuilding and Fitness federation).
In 2001, Bergmann returned to competition after a twelve-year absence, during which she worked as an IFBB judge. Entering the Ms. Olympia contest, she took first place in the lightweight class, and defeated heavyweight class winner Iris Kyle to win the overall title, the only time in Ms. Olympia history the lightweight class winner has won the overall title. She repeated as the Ms. Olympia lightweight class winner in 2002 and 2003, losing the overall title to Lenda Murray both years.
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