Who is Ms Olympia bodybuilder Ava Melillo? Meet the IFBB Pro and past North American overall FBB champion

BODYBUILDER Ava Melillo might be a newcomer but she is making waves in the sport already.

The IFFB Pro will compete for the title of Ms Olympia after qualifying in the summer.

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Ms Olympia hopeful

The 2024 Toronto Pro Super show took place on Sunday, June 9, 2024, in Toronto, ON, Canada.

The event saw 147 professional bodybuilders compete across all 10 divisions.

Rookie Ava Melillo made an unforgettable pro debut at the event by bagging herself the Women’s Bodybuilding Winning title, beating runner-up Sheena Ohlig.

She also earned herself the 2024 Ms Olympia qualification.

The 2024 Olympia 60th anniversary will take place on October 10-13, in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Olympia is regarded as one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the bodybuilding calendar.

And after major changes were made to the qualifying system in 2023, many of the athletes had to face stricter rules to secure their spot.

Ava will be competing against 15 other Olympia hopefuls, including the Ms Olympia 2023 winner Andrea Shaw.

Growing up

Most bodybuilders don’t get into the sport at a young age due to the discipline and sacrifice it requires to stay on a strict diet and training schedule.

But Ava started preparing herself for the sport from a young age.

Speaking on the Female Bodybuilding YouTube Channel Ava explained what inspired her to get into bodybuilding: “I was very overweight as a kid.

“I got to high school, college…and I saw a photo of some bodybuilder chic.

“I saw her and I was like damn I want to be like that.

“I knew what I wanted and I knew what I wanted to look like.

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“I had no idea what I was doing, so I first aimed with right I need to be thinner.

“I was just in the shadows doing it. I wasn’t outwards with anything until I knew I was ready.

For Ava, this was in 2022 when she made her first debut at the NPC North American Championships.

It was here she won the Women’s Bodybuilding Overall Winner and became an IFBB Pro at just 25-years-old.

Ava, previously lived in Connecticut, but now lives in Pennsylvania with her partner, Zach Merkel, who is also an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder.

The two train together and are both coached by IFBB pro Morgan Rice.

When she’s not training, Ava liked to hang out with her dog, Molly until August, 2020 when she posted a final photo of them together with the caption: “My tough cookie, I’ll miss you forever.”