Rachel McLish
| Rachel McLish | |
|---|---|
| — Bodybuilder — | |
| Personal info | |
| Born |
June 21, 1955 Harlingen, Texas, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 129 lb (59 kg) |
| Professional career | |
| Best win | Ms. Olympia two times, 1980 and 1982 |
| Predecessor | No predecessor |
| Successor | Carla Dunlap |
| Active | Retired 1984 |
Rachel McLish (born June 21, 1955) is an American female bodybuilding champion, actress and author.
Early life and education
McLish was born as Raquel Livia Elizondo in 1955 in Harlingen, Texas. She attended Pan American University. Her father was of Spanish ancestry.[1]
Bodybuilding career
McLish's win in the inaugural Ms. Olympia competition in 1980 became a landmark moment for women's bodybuilding. In the year before her win, women's bodybuilding had gained trendy mainstream media notice, including features on the popular television show Real People and the large enterprise story of the Mar 17, 1980 Sports Illustrated.
She beat second-place Auby Paulick at the 1980 Olympia and edging Carla Dunlap in the 1982 Olympia. Both Paulick and Dunlap brought more muscle than McLish in those respective contests. But neither Paulick nor Dunlap could match McLish's overall appeal. McLish finished second in the 1981 Olympia to Finland's Kike Elomaa when McLish wasn't as defined as usual.
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. Dunlap defeated her in the 1983 Caesar's World Cup contest created for the movie Pumping Iron II: The Women. She finished a controversial second behind Cory Everson in the 1984 Ms. Olympia. As quoted by several magazines covering the event[citation needed], some competitors expressed surprise at McLish's placement because she didn't carry the muscle mass carried by many of the top women. Though Dunlap, who finished fifth, was the defending Ms. Olympia, the cover of the March 1985 Strength Training for Beauty's March 1985 cover declared "Cory dethrones Rachel."
In January 1999, McLish was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame.
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
Motion picture career
She was featured in the 1985 documentary Pumping Iron II: The Women, and 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, and was followed successfully in this by fellow Ms Olympian, Cory Everson. Rachel McLish was also a star in Herb Alpert 'Red Hot' music video.[2]
Author
McLish has authored two books on weight training for women that made the New York Times bestseller list – Flex Appeal, by Rachel (1984, ISBN 0-446-38105-5), and Perfect Parts (1987, hardcover ISBN 0-446-77815-X, softcover ISBN 0-446-38534-4).
Personal life
While attending Pan American University, she met John McLish; they were married in March 1979. Rachel McLish currently lives in Rancho Mirage, California, and is now married to film producer Ron Samuels. She recently sold her house for $3.0 million to Boston Red Sox player Coco Crisp .
References
- Todd, Jan, "Rachel McLish", St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, Gale Group, 1999
External links
- IFBB Hall of Fame profile
- Rachel McLish at the Internet Movie Database
- Rachel McLish Gallery
- Internet Pinball Database
| Ms. Olympia | ||
| Preceded by: - |
First (1980) | Succeeded by: Kike Elomaa |
| Preceded by: Kike Elomaa |
Second (1982) | Succeeded by: Carla Dunlap |
|