Iris Kyle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Iris Kyle |
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Iris Kyle doing an abdominals and thighs pose during the finals individual mandatory posing during the 2008 Ms. Olympia.
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| Full name | Iris Floyd Kyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 22, 1974 Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro-debut | International Federation of Bodybuilders Pro Division (IFBB) Ms. International, 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Iris Floyd Kyle (born Mildred Carter on August 22, 1974) is an African-Indian American professional female bodybuilder. She is known as the most successful professional bodybuilder ever, for both women and men. Iris has won many titles, including ten overall and two heavyweight Ms. Olympia titles. She also has seven overall and one heavyweight Ms. International titles.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Iris Floyd Kyle was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in 1974. She was the fifth of six children in her family. From a young age, Iris loved sports. She was good at cross country, basketball, softball, and volleyball.
Iris was an All-American basketball player. This means she was one of the best players in the country for her age. She even received many offers for sports scholarships to college. Iris went to Benton Harbor High School. Later, she studied business at Alcorn State University in Mississippi.
Becoming a Bodybuilder
Starting Out
Iris got into bodybuilding after moving to Orange County, California. She saw many fit people around her and wanted to become strong and sculpted too. She joined a gym called Bally Total Fitness.
Iris started teaching aerobics and later became a sales manager there. This is when she began lifting weights seriously. She felt excited by all the training equipment. She knew she could build the strong body she wanted.
She read many magazines like FLEX and Muscle and Fitness. Iris was inspired by a famous bodybuilder named Lenda Murray. She even put a picture of Lenda on her refrigerator to remind her of her goal.
Amateur Competitions
A local promoter named Butch Dennis saw Iris at her gym. He suggested she enter a competition called the Long Beach Muscle Classic. Iris trained hard and won this contest in 1994.
From 1994 until she became a professional, Iris was coached by Patrick Lynn. In 1996, a sports writer named Steve Wennerstrom wrote about Iris. He said she had amazing muscle definition and good balance. He felt she was ready for national competitions.
In 1998, Iris won the NPC USA Championships. She won both the heavyweight and overall titles. This win also earned her an IFBB pro card. This meant she could now compete as a professional bodybuilder. She was 23 years old at the time.
Professional Bodybuilding Career
Early Professional Years (1999–2001)
Iris became very focused on her training. She felt that being isolated helped her make the best gains. Her first professional competition was the 1999 Ms. International, where she placed 15th. She promised herself that this low placing would never happen again.
After that, Iris almost always placed in the top six in professional contests. In 1999, she took 2nd place at the IFBB Pro World. A writer for Flex magazine praised her strong build.
In 2001, Iris won her first professional contest at the 2001 Ms. Olympia. She won the heavyweight title. However, she lost the overall Ms. Olympia title to Juliette Bergmann. Iris believed she should have won the overall title that year.
Rising to the Top (2002–2005)
In 2002 and 2003, Iris placed second at the Ms. Olympia. Her idol, Lenda Murray, won both times after returning from retirement. But in 2004, Iris had a huge year. She won both the overall and heavyweight titles at the Ms. International. Then, she went on to beat Lenda Murray and win the overall and heavyweight titles at the 2004 Ms. Olympia.
In 2005, the rules for Ms. Olympia changed. The weight class system was removed. Also, a new rule asked female bodybuilders to reduce their muscle size by 20%. This led to Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia winning the 2005 Ms. International and taking the Ms. Olympia title from Iris.
Dominating the Sport (2006–2014)
Iris came back strong in 2006. She won both her Ms. International and Ms. Olympia titles again. She continued her winning streak in 2007, taking both titles once more.
In 2008, Iris faced a challenge at the Ms. International, placing 7th. This was her lowest placing since her first pro show. However, she quickly bounced back. She won the 2008 Ms. Olympia later that year.
Iris continued to win many titles. She won both the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia in 2009. In 2010, she won her fifth Ms. International title, becoming the most successful champion in that event. She kept winning the Ms. Olympia from 2010 to 2014.
In 2013, she won her ninth overall Ms. Olympia title. This made her the most successful female professional bodybuilder ever. In 2014, she won her tenth overall Ms. Olympia title, breaking her own record. After this historic win, Iris announced she was retiring from bodybuilding.
Later Career and Retirement (2015–2022)
In 2015, Iris announced she would come out of retirement to compete again. She was invited to the 2016 Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix World Championships. She decided not to compete, choosing instead to focus on training her boyfriend, Hidetada Yamagishi, and their business.
In 2019, Iris appeared as a guest poser at the Hidetada Yamagishi, Iris Kyle Japan Classic. In 2020, she announced she would compete at the 2020 Ms. Olympia. She was coached by Patrick Tuor for this event.
On July 29, 2022, Iris announced her retirement from professional bodybuilding for the second time.
Legacy in Bodybuilding
Iris Kyle is known as the most successful professional bodybuilder of all time. She has won more Ms. Olympia titles (ten overall) and Ms. International titles (seven overall) than anyone else.
Many people in the bodybuilding world believe she should be honored in the IFBB Professional League Hall of Fame. Iris has also suggested that audiences should have a say in judging bodybuilding contests.
Iris has trained with other bodybuilders, including Hidetada Yamagishi. They also work together to promote amateur bodybuilding shows in Japan. In 2024, Iris coached Alcione Barreto, another professional bodybuilder, at her gym in Las Vegas.
Other Interests and Business
Media Appearances
Iris Kyle has appeared on television shows and in documentaries. In 2008, she was on an episode of Wipeout. She also appeared in the 2013 documentary ASF25 – A Documentary.
Iris and her ex-boyfriend, Hidetada Yamagishi, were in the 2017 bodybuilding documentary film Generation Iron 2. She also appeared in Katy Perry's music video for Swish Swish in 2017.
Business Ventures
Since 1998, Iris has been a personal trainer. She runs her own online training and nutrition business called Healthier by Choice. She has also been sponsored by various nutrition companies.
Since 2013, Iris has been a co-owner of Bodi Cafe in Las Vegas, Nevada. This business sells supplements and healthy smoothies. Since 2021, she has been a co-owner of Powerhouse Gym Iris Kyle, Hidetada Yamagishi Las Vegas.
Iris is also a brand ambassador for other nutrition companies. As of 2022, her net worth was estimated to be $9 million. This makes her one of the wealthiest female bodybuilders.
Real Estate
Iris Kyle is also a real estate agent with ERA Realty.
Personal Life
Iris Kyle has lived in several places, including Katy, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a Baptist and often thanks God after winning competitions. She starts her day with prayer and reads from the Bible. Sundays are her rest days, and she attends church regularly.
Iris's current boyfriend is Marc Goldstein, a finance executive. She was previously in a long relationship with her training partner, Hidetada Yamagishi. Iris can speak German and Spanish.
See also
In Spanish: Iris Kyle para niños
- Female bodybuilding
- List of female professional bodybuilders
