{{Short description|Romanian-born bodybuilder}} {{Infobox bodybuilder | name = Alina Popa<ref name="facebook">{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/alina.popa.585/info?collection_token=100000857721176%3A2327158227%3A8|title=Alina Popa|date=|publisher=Facebook|accessdate=May 18, 2014}}</ref> | image = IFBB Pro Alina Popa flexing triceps.jpg | caption = | nickname = The Romanian Queen of Bodybuilding | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|10|12|mf=yes}}<ref name="facebook" /> | birth_place = Brăila, Socialist Republic of Romania<ref name="facebook" /> | death_date = | death_place = | height = {{height|ft=5|in=6}}<ref name="Popa 2008" /> | weight = In Season: {{convert|160|-|165|lb|abbr=on}} <br /> Off-Season: {{convert|180|-|185|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="amg" /><ref name="Popa 2008" /> | firstproshow = IFBB Ms. International<ref name="Popa 2008" /> | firstproshowyear = 2010<ref name="Popa 2008" /> | bestwin = IFBB WOS Rising Phoenix World Championships overall champion | bestwinyear = 2018 | predecessor = Helle Trevino<ref name="Popa 2008" /> | successor = Helle Trevino<ref name="Popa 2008" /> | yesorretiredyear = 2010-2018<ref name="amg" /> }}
'''Alina Evelina Popa''' (born October 12, 1978) is a Romanian former professional female bodybuilder currently living in the United States.
==Early life and education== Popa grew up Brăila, Romania. From the age of 12, she competed in track and field, initially to lose weight. n 1997, she graduated Lic Th Gh. Munteanu-Murgoci Brăila. She studied English, Romanian, majoring in the former with a teaching degree, and literature at the University of Galați, where she was part of the Galati University "Dănărea de Jos" Sports Club and graduated in 2002. She studied Culinary arts at the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts and graduated in 2015.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/alina.popa.585/about_work_and_education Alina Popa Work and Education]</ref><ref name="facebook" /><ref name="amg">{{cite web|url=http://amg-lite.net/alina_popa/|title=IFBB Professional Bodybuilder ALINA POPA|date=2010-04-04|publisher=amg|accessdate=May 18, 2014}}</ref>
==Bodybuilding career==
===Amateur===
At 18, Alina entered a gym in Brăila just to keep fit and lose some weight, but immediately fell in love with bodybuilding. In 1998, she began to read bodybuilding magazines. There was one female in the gym getting ready for the National Junior Championship and she felt admiration for her and wished she had her muscles. She kept on training for the next two years until one day she entered another gym in another town, where she was a student, and the trainer there saw her potential and suggested to her she should train to compete.<ref name="Popa 2008" /><ref name="amg" /><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfwAWU__-TE Q & A with the hosts]</ref>
In 1998, a gym owner suggested she compete in fitness. She started training to compete in fitness. However, immediately as she gained muscle, her trainer said they were too muscular for the division and that they should compete as a bodybuilder. Her role model was Lenda Murray. She competing for Romania till 2005, then in 2006 she moved to Switzerland and competed for Switzerland. In 2008, she received her IFBB pro card after winning the overall and heavyweight at the 2008 Worlds Santa Susanna.<ref name="amg" />
===Professional=== At the 2010 Ms. International, Alina had her pro debut, where she placed 8th.<ref name="amg" /> In 2011, Dylan Armbrust, owner of Armbrust Pro Gym and former husband of professional bodybuilder Heather Armbrust, asked Alina for an autograph and she moved to Colorado to train with Dylan at the Armbrust Pro Gym.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUs-YPvZd1U Mile High Muscle Show : Episode One]</ref> At the 2011 Ms. International, she placed 3rd and qualified for her first Ms. Olympia. At the 2011 Ms. Olympia, she placed 5th. At the 2012 Ms. International, she placed 3rd. At the 2012 Ms. Olympia, she placed 4th.<ref name="Alina Popa Muscle Memory Profile">[https://www.musclememory.com/show.php?s=Alina+Popa&g=F Alina Popa Muscle Memory Profile]</ref>
Alina decided sit out the 2013 Ms. International in order to focus on the 2013 Ms. Olympia.<ref>[https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2013-ms-international-preview-iris-kyle-seeks-her-seventh-title.html 2013 Ms. International Preview: Iris Kyle Seeks Her Seventh Title]</ref> At the 2013 Ms. Olympia, she placed 2nd. In 2014, she began being sponsored by Supplement Giant and at the 2014 Ms. Olympia, she placed 2nd again. In 2015, due to injuries, she did not participate in the 2015 Rising Phoenix World Championships.<ref>{{Citation|title=Mile High Muscle Show: Episode 5|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNM4VbX_cgM|language=en|access-date=2022-02-26}}</ref> She returned to competing in 2016 and at the 2016 Rising Phoenix World Championships, she placed 3rd. In 2018, she won her first IFBB Pro League contest, the Muscle Vodka Tampa Pro. At the 2018 Rising Phoenix World Championships, she won the Ms. Rising Phoenix title and retired from bodybuilding.<ref name="Alina Popa Muscle Memory Profile" />
===Legacy=== Since November 1, 2018, Alina has been Vice President of European Operations & Athletes' Rep of Wings of Strength. She promotes three IFBB Pro League contests—the Alina Popa Classic Pro, the Romania Muscle Fest Pro and the Masters Olympia.<ref>[https://www.ifbbpro.com/schedule/ 2024 IFBB Pro League Schedule]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230306180615/https://www.ifbbpro.com/2023-pro-calendar/#WBB 2023 IFBB Pro League Schedule WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING]</ref>
===Contest history=== *2000 Regional Cup - 2nd (HW) *2000 IFBB National Championship - 3rd (HW) *2003 IFBB National Championship - 1st (MW) *2004 IFBB European Championship - 2nd (HW) *2005 Mixed Pairs European Championship - 2nd *2005 Women's European Championship - 5th *2006 Grand Prix Due Torri - 1st *2007 NABBA Miss Universe - 1st (Miss Physique class) *2008 IFBB Worlds Santa Susanna - 1st (Overall and HW) *2010 IFBB Ms. International - 8th *2011 IFBB Ms. International - 3rd *2011 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 5th *2012 IFBB Ms. International - 3rd *2012 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 4th *2013 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 2nd *2014 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 2nd * 2016 WOS Rising Phoenix World Championships - 3rd *2018 IFBB Muscle Vodka Tampa Pro - 1st *2018 Rising Phoenix World Championships - 1st<ref name="Popa 2008" /><ref name="amg" /><ref name="Alina Popa Muscle Memory Profile" />
===Best statistics===
* Back - {{convert|47|in|cm}}<ref name="Popa 2008" /> * Bench press - {{convert|242|lb|abbr=on}} x 4-6 reps<ref name="Popa 2008" /> * Bicep curls - {{convert|65|lb|abbr=on}} each arm x 3 reps<ref name="Popa 2008" /> * Calves - {{convert|17|in|cm}}<ref name="Popa 2008" /> * Chest - {{convert|47|in|cm}}<ref name="Iron Belles">[https://www.ironbelles.com/alina.shtml Iron Belles]</ref> * Deadlift - {{convert|308|lb|abbr=on}} x 8 reps<ref name="Popa 2008" /> * On season biceps - {{convert|17|in|cm}}<ref name="Popa 2008" /><ref name="Iron Belles" /> * On season thighs - {{convert|26|in|cm}}<ref name="Popa 2008" /><ref name="amg" /> * On season weight - {{convert|160|-|165|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="Popa 2008">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100104074649/http://www.alinapopa.com/about.htm About Me 2008]</ref><ref name="amg" /> * Quads - {{convert|28|in|cm}}<ref name="Iron Belles" /> * Squats - {{convert|375|lb|abbr=on}} x 4-6 reps
==Personal life== Popa currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/ALINAPOPA1|title=Alina Popa|date=|publisher=Twitter|accessdate=May 18, 2014}}</ref> and she is divorced. Since November 1, 2018, Alina has been Vice President of European Operations & Athletes' Rep of Wings of Strength.<ref name="facebook" /><ref name="amg" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Ms Rising Phoenix}}
==External links== *[http://www.alinapopa.com/ Official web site] *[https://twitter.com/ALINAPOPA1 Twitter account]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Popa, Alina}} Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:People from Arvada, Colorado Category:People from Lakewood, Colorado Category:Professional bodybuilders Category:Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Category:Romanian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:Romanian female bodybuilders Category:Sportspeople from Brăila Category:Sportspeople from Denver Category:Sportspeople from Zurich Category:Swiss expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:Swiss female bodybuilders Category:Sportspeople from Arvada, Colorado