Sarah And Me: Jan Tana 2007

After winning her pro card in 2002, at the age of only 22, it took Sarah five hard years to reach her peak as a pro. There were promising results in 2005, when she finished 3rd in the IFBB Charlotte Pro behind Jitka Harazimova and Betty Pariso, and 4th in the New York Pro, with only Riveccio, Foster and Calo ahead of her.

But a year later at the Europa, she came in 13th, albeit in a very competitive field. I had so much going on in my life and so many distractions. I didn’t give it 100% and I know that. Then on top of that, I get there and everyone who I depended on to help me with the last minute touches like color, meals and even a ride from the airport just totally bailed on me last minute. That show was… forget it. I don’t even want to think about it, she said in an interview the following year.

Her next show was to be the 2007 Jan Tana. A chance to revive her fortunes and to qualify for the Miss Olympia for the first time, which she was desperate to do. She had trained as hard as ever, and the fact that the show was taking place on her birthday seemed to be a good omen.

In 2007, I couldn’t imagine what a live stream of a female bodybuilding show was, nor was I aware of the sort of play-by-play commentary you get these days on forums like Bodybuilding.com. But the Jan Tana that year was the first contest I remember ‘following’, anticipating the day, scouring the internet for news and for the results.




Sarah was in the best shape of her life, but, in a field of only four lightweights, she was up against two of the best: Dena Westerfield and Marja Lehtonen.



While Sarah had struggled at the Europa in 2006, Dena Westerfield had been runner-up there, been to the Olympia, and had already finished 4th behind Mah-Ann Mendoza, Debbie Bramwell and Debi Laszewski at the 2007 Europa. Marja Lehtonen had been competing since the early ‘90s, was a Miss Olympia and Jan Tana veteran with years of top 3 finishes behind her.









So after a crowd-pleasing routine, had she done enough to win?





She’d done more than enough. Sarah had won every round, and having beaten Dena and Marja, she also took the Overall title, defeating Heavyweight winner Stephanie Kessler. Sarah had won her first (and so far only, pro title).





My Muscle Queen had been crowned. Well, she’d got a tiara and a bunch of flowers. So, there it was, a female bodybuilding contest with the result I wanted. Little did I suspect what a rare occurrence that would be...



Hope you have enjoyed my trip down memory lane with one of my very favourite female bodybuilders.

See Sarah on you tube
Purchase Sarah on Clips for Sale
Follow her on Tumblr
Treat her to something from her wishlist on Amazon