DeKalb woman competing at Ms. Olympia

By Ashley Luthans

A local woman is taking her talent to her sport’s biggest stage.

Hunter Henderson, a bodybuilder and powerlifter from DeKalb, Missouri, has qualified for Ms. Olympia.

“It is the most prestigious bodybuilding stage that you can step on,” Henderson said. “You know, Olympia is every bodybuilder’s dream, to get to the Olympia, to be on the stage, to be, you know, at the meetings and press conferences and … it’s the ultimate goal for any bodybuilder out there.”

Henderson began powerlifting seven years ago, setting a few world records.

Henderson is the current holder of the third heaviest squat for a woman in the world, squatting 683 pounds.

After powerlifting, Henderson said that she thought she might be good at bodybuilding and decided to try it out.

Henderson has shown strength her whole life, not just in the gym. Henderson was diagnosed with kidney cancer at age 4 and had to go through radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.

Henderson ended up losing her one of her kidneys, however, that didn’t stop her from becoming a champion.

In order to qualify for Ms. Olympia, competitors must win a national competition. Henderson was the last of 16 qualifiers for the competition, and she said she’s excited to have won her spot.

“When they announced the second-place person, and I was like oh my goodness, I did it,” Henderson said. “I’m like hyperventilating, I’m like putting my hands above my head, I’m like freaking out. It’s just, you know, when you compete at a high level, you visualize a lot. And, you know, I’ve been seeing this moment in my head for weeks now, like, Hunter Henderson qualified for the Olympia. And to just experience it in real life was greater than I could have ever imagined. It was, it was awesome.”

The Ms. Olympia competition can be livestreamed online on Friday, Oct. 11.