A Chilean bodybuilder died two weeks after competing in the female division of Mr Olympia, a bodybuilding competition held in Las Vegas.
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bodybuilder → die → Vegas
The death of successful bodybuilder Marianne Gierke, 40, was announced by Chile's branch of the National Physique Committee on Wednesday.
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death → announce → Wednesday
'[Gierke] left an unforgettable mark on bodybuilding.
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Gierke → leave → bodybuilding
We will remember her for her dedication and discipline, and for taking her talent to the Mr Olympia stage,' the branch said in a statement.
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branch → remember → statement
Her cause of death was not specified in the announcement.
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cause → specify → announcement
Gierke was experiencing one of the most successful seasons of her bodybuilding career in the months leading up to her death.
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Gierke → experience → death
In August, she was awarded first place in the Women's Physique Division at the 2026 Rising Phoenix Women's bodybuilding competition in Phoenix, Arizona.
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she → award → Phoenix
And she placed 13th in Mr Olympia's Women's Physique category.
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she → place → category
Gierke is survived by her 11-year-old son Luciano and her partner Juan Cofre Garcia.
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Gierke → survive → son
Luciano accompanied his mother to Las Vegas when she traveled to compete in Mr Olympia, she shared online.
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she → accompany → Olympia
Marianne Von Gierke is a Chilean bodybuilder who passed away at age 40, shortly after competing in Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas
Gierke is survived by her 11-year-old son Luciano and her partner Juan Cofre Garcia
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Gierke → pass → son
The Women’s Physique category is for female bodybuilders that hold more muscle than figure athletes but less than women’s bodybuilding, according to NPC News Online.
Premature deaths among bodybuilders are not rare, and are often attributed to the extreme conditions necessary when preparing one's body for a competition.
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deaths → hold → competition
Just last year, a female bodybuilder from Spain, Lorena Blanco, 37, passed away in the hospital after she suffered a heart attack.
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she → pass → attack
Blanco was preparing to compete in the Bikini Division at Olympia, according to Generation Iron.
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Blanco → prepare → Iron
Einar Mendez and Juan Sebastian Anzola Quintero are two other notable bodybuilders who passed away from cardiac complications in the past few months.
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who → pass → months
Sudden cardiac arrest is responsible for an unusually high number of deaths in both female and male bodybuilders worldwide, according to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
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arrest → accord → Cardiology
'Bodybuilders, both female and male, often engage in extreme training, and use fasting and dehydration strategies to achieve extreme physiques.
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Bodybuilders → engage → physiques
Some also take performance-enhancing substances,' said Dr Marco Vecchiato, a sports and exercise medicine physician who led the first large-scale study investigating deaths in female bodybuilders, ESC reported.
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ESC → take → bodybuilders
'These strategies can take a serious toll on the heart and blood vessels.'
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strategies → take → heart
The study was launched to remedy the lack of data available on female athletes who participate in bodybuilding.
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who → launch → bodybuilding
Sudden cardiac arrest was found to be the most common cause of death, accounting for 31 percent of the 9,447 cases studied.
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arrest → find → cases
The average age at death was reported to be around 42 years.
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age → report → death
Suicide or homicide accounted for 13 percent, which Vecchiato connected to the unique psychosocial pressures faced by female bodybuilders.
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Vecchiato → account → bodybuilders
The Aporia
