Croatian-American to become oldest Bikini athlete at Masters Olympia

Meri Abbado (Photo: Private album)

Meri Abbado (56), originally from the Croatian city of Split, but who has resided in Los Angeles for over 30 years, has achieved remarkable success in bodybuilding.

Meri now is set to become the oldest Bikini athlete at next year’s Masters Olympia.

Meri will compete at the famous competition at almost 57 years of age.

The Croatian-American has had a strong start to the 2024 competition season, qualifying twice for the Masters Olympia, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan, in August 2025.

(Photo: Private album)

Notably, Meri won the Master class at the Nashville Fit show and successfully defended her Master Bikini World Champion title, which she initially won in 2022, at the age of 56 while competing against women in their 40s.

(Photo: Private album)

Beginnings

Meri began working out after a hysterectomy in 2011 at the age of 43, in an effort to recover and regain strength.

Her passion for fitness grew, leading her to start a Facebook page to share her workouts, which became popular among women seeking advice.

This inspired her to become a certified personal trainer.

Meri’s fitness journey took an exciting turn when she stumbled upon a video of a bikini bodybuilding competition and decided to give it a try.

(Photo: Private album)

Without prior knowledge or a coach, she researched everything she needed online and entered a local competition just three months later.

“I knew nothing about bodybuilding competitions and didn’t have a coach. I gathered all information about it on-line; diet, training and anything else needed to compete. Three months later I entered a local competition, which turned out to be one of the major NPC/IFBB bodybuilding shows. After that, I was hooked and wanted to do more,” she told us in an earlier interview.

From that point on, Meri was hooked and continued to pursue bodybuilding with dedication and enthusiasm and she has gone on to win numerous titles and medals at international competitions.

“Bodybuilding is not for the weak. It is an extreme sport that goes on all year round. You cannot stop or pause and then decide to pick up where you left when you feel like it. You must be disciplined and constantly work on yourself, day in and day out.

Bodybuilding, and especially competing, is not for everyone. To anyone interested in getting into it I would suggest first get information and find the right coach, who will help them with training and proper nutrition,” says Meri.

Meri also features in the documentary “Aging Evolution,” produced by Generation Iron and Vladar Films, which is now available on all digital platforms.  You can check out the trailer below.