After turning pro in 2026, Svetlana Fedkina placed sixth at the first Fit Model Olympia. She shares what the milestone means and the workout she used to prepare.
Svetlana Fedkina’s sixth-place finish at the first Fit Model Olympia capped a swift rise from amateur competitor to Olympia finalist. The result also gave the new division one of its first international milestones: Fedkina became the first Slavic athlete to qualify for the Fit Model Olympia.
Her path to the stage took shape when IFBB Pro League Vice President Tyler Manion announced the division in December 2024. Fedkina saw a category that might suit her, though she didn’t know then whether she’d reach the Olympia.
“For the first time in a long time, I saw a division where I felt I could truly show who I am as an athlete,” she said.
A new division, a different route
Fedkina’s background in ballet made stage competition feel like a natural fit. She discovered the Bikini division in 2013 and came to value bodybuilding as a mix of athletic discipline, aesthetics and performance.
“For me, it brings together everything I love: sports, discipline, constant self-improvement, aesthetics, and the opportunity to perform and express myself on stage,” she said.
She also sees competition as a way to encourage others, particularly women, to pursue strength and health without giving up a sense of femininity. The Fit Model category, she said, offered a chance to present her development as an athlete.
The division’s look drew on Ashley Kaltwasser’s appearance during her time as reigning Olympia Bikini champion, when Fedkina first began competing. The IFBB Pro League recognized that look as an inspiration and standard for Fit Model.
Fedkina now views her earlier efforts to earn a pro card in Bikini as preparation for this opportunity. “Everything I had been through in the sport was somehow preparing me for this opportunity,” she said.
From first pro show to Olympia finalist
Fedkina earned her pro card at the Junior USA in May 2026. A month later, she made her professional debut at the St. Pete Pro, placing eighth. She won her second pro show in Tampa, securing an Olympia qualification, then finished sixth at the inaugural Fit Model Olympia in Las Vegas.
“Being part of the first-ever Fit Model Olympia was incredibly special to me,” she said. She called the event historic for both the division and professional bodybuilding, adding that she was proud her name would be part of its beginnings.
Her first-of-its-kind qualification also carries a personal meaning. Fedkina hopes athletes from her region will see her result as evidence that a late-arriving opportunity can still be seized with preparation and persistence.
“Sometimes your opportunity doesn’t come when you expect it to. You just have to keep going long enough to be ready when it finally does,” she said.
Starting the year as an amateur and ending it among the Olympia’s top six gives Fedkina a clear benchmark for what comes next. She sees the placing as proof that her preparation worked, while also identifying room to improve before a possible return in 2027.
“It showed me that I can compete at this level, and it made me even more excited to see how far I can take this,” she said.
The lower-body session behind her Olympia prep
Fedkina shared a lower-body workout from her Olympia preparation. Fit Model has different standards from Bikini and Wellness, she said, but training still calls for hard work. Her setup for Bulgarian split squats is especially deliberate: she uses a resistance band around the working knee to direct more of the effort toward her glutes.
“It is basically the only exercise I do all week that significantly involves my quads,” she said. Fedkina generally rests 1.5 to two minutes between sets, extending that to as long as five minutes when a set is particularly demanding.
- Heavy Bent-Over Hip Abduction — 3 sets of 15–25 reps
- Single-Leg Bulgarian Split Squat in Hack Squat Machine — 3 sets of 12–15 reps per leg
- Smith Machine Hip Thrust — 3 working sets of 12–15 reps
- Single-Leg Kickback — 3 sets of 12–15 reps per leg
Replays of the 2026 Olympia can be seen at olympiaproductions.com. You can follow Fedkina on Instagram @sweetlana_ifbbpro.
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