Bev Francis

Quick Facts

Full Name	Bev Francis
Occupation	Shot Putter
Date Of Birth	Feb 15, 1955(1955-02-15)
Age	69
Birthplace	Geelong
Country	Australia
Birth City	Victoria
Horoscope	Aquarius

Bev Francis Biography

Bev Francis is one of the most popular and richest Shot Putter who was born on February 15, 1955 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. After the first night’s judging Francis was the top performer with four points in front of Murray. The second night, shortly before the beginning of the second and third rounds, ESPN (in an unprecedented move for professional bodybuilding) displayed the scores from the half-time show for the national audience as well as viewers in the Shrine Auditorium to see Francis ahead. Since the posing round weren’t considered to be an opportunity for a competitor who was struggling to catch up many insiders, including Francis herself, believed that she would need to keep her balance in order to claim the title. At the end of the second evening’s contest at the end of the second night’s events, when Francis was on stage in a handshake with Murray she was announced as 2nd place with the score of 31 points compared to Murray’s 32. Francis’s hand jumped halfway up her face, in shock. However, she was able to regain her composure and smiled and thanked Murray. It was the tiniest margin of victory for an Ms. Olympia win, with Murray winning over Francis by just one point. The commentators and the audience were shocked by the outcome, as Francis had led following the first two (more controversial) rounds but was subsequently beaten by Murray in the final set.

It was generally believed by it was because the IFBB and ESPN leadership didn’t desire a woman who had more muscle mass than middleweight males to be regarded as the world’s top female bodybuilder. The leadership also advised the judges to shift the race in Murray’s direction. It was not uncommon for such interference to be heard of in male competitions (most controversially during The 1980 Mr. Olympia). Then, a few months later the IFBB released a revised policy announcement warning that excess visible muscularity will be marked down, which sparked a recurrent discussions about the subjective standards and “how much is too much”. Francis was later resigned and expressed her displeasure at her loss that was controversial. She said in 1993:

From 1981 to the early 1990s, Francis earned the accolade of “Strongest Woman in History”. She was the first woman in the world to bench press over 300 lb (140 kg). She broke over 40 world powerlifting records and was undefeated during her powerlifting career. She was inducted into the International Powerlifting Federation Hall of Fame in 1987.

Francis and her career played a significant role in the concurrent turmoil over ideals of form (especially regarding muscle mass) and judging criteria for female bodybuilders, which often relied on vague, contentious, and shifting notions of a “feminine” figure. Her 1983 debut in the made-for-film Cesar’s World Cup received much attention for potentially pushing the sport in a more muscular direction. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem commented that her performance “redefined the boundaries of femininity”. However, when she placed 8th, her loss led her to spend years changing her look in an attempt to meet the apparent ideal preferred by the judges.

As a teen, Francis was a skilled shot putter. Then, in February of 1974, she started serious training. In 1977 she set the Australian record for shot-put. From 1977 to 1981 until 1982 the athlete was an Australian track and field team player. She did not participate in the track season because of an injury to her knee. The year 1982 was the time she was the winner of her first Australian National Shot Put Championships. Alongside her shot, she also competed in the javelin throw, discus throw, and 100-meter reserve.

Bev Francis Net Worth

Bev Francis is one of the richest Shot Putter from Australia. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Bev Francis 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Beverley Francis was born the 15th of February 1955, in Geelong, Victoria, the youngest of five children. In 1976 she received her degree from University of Melbourne, where she earned an undergraduate degree in physical education as well as a teaching certificate. She was then an high school math and physical education educator for eight years.

Beverley “Bev” Francis (born 15 February 1955) is an Australian gym owner, retired bodybuilder, powerlifter and shot put champion of the national championship.

In 1980, Francis held all world records in the 82.5 kg (182 lb) weight class. At the 1981 World Powerlifting Championships, she set a world record when she bench pressed 150 kg (330 lb), the first woman’s bench press over 300 lb. At the 1982 Australian Powerlifting Championships in Adelaide, she set a world record in the 82.5 kg (182 lb) class with a squat of 216 kg (476 lb). She won gold medals in her weight class in the International Powerlifting Federation Championships from 1980–1985.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Bev Francis height 5 ft 5 im Bev weight 73 kg & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Bev Francis Dating?

According to our records, Bev Francis married to Steve Weinberger. As of December 1, 2023, Bev Francis’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Bev Francis. You may help us to build the dating records for Bev Francis!

Marcia Pally, in a 1985 article on the film Pumping Iron II: The Women, had reported that people often thought of Francis as lesbian. Francis commented: “The categorization annoys me more than what I’m accused of. I’ve been called a transsexual, a man, and a lesbian. People have to stop putting together things that don’t belong together. Muscles don’t make a woman a lesbian.”

Facts & Trivia

Bev Ranked on the list of most popular Shot Putter. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Australia. Bev Francis celebrates birthday on February 15 of every year.

Despite years of attempting to achieve higher scores on the femininity aspect of the contests with measures including a nose job, hair bleaching, and slimming down her physique by losing muscle, Francis still failed to take first place at the major competitions. However, after successfully developing methods of achieving a more symmetrical physique while maintaining the size built from her powerlifting background (the three power lifts are central to bodybuilding, and bodybuilders with backgrounds as champion powerlifters tend to have tremendous size and density for their frames), she won the World Championship in 1987. She continued to experiment with her physique, leading to a disappointing 1990 Ms. Olympia. There, she was criticized as not having the fullness or muscularity compared to winner Lenda Murray, and subsequently worked on becoming as massive and symmetrical as possible for the 1991 Olympia. After the ensuing 2nd-place finish and resulting controversy, she retired from bodybuilding.

Top Facts about Bev Francis

1. Bev Francis is an Australian bodybuilder and powerlifter.
2. She won the 1987 World Powerlifting Championships.
3. In 1991, she became the first woman to bench press over 300 pounds.
4. Francis was a professional wrestler in the 1990s.
5. She opened her own gym, Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym, in New York.
6. Francis was featured in the documentary “Pumping Iron II: The Women.”
7. She has been inducted into multiple halls of fame for bodybuilding and powerlifting.
8. Francis is known for her impressive upper body strength.
9. She retired from competitive lifting in 1995 but still trains regularly.
10. Francis continues to inspire female athletes around the world with her achievements.

Where is Bev Francis now?

Bev is now back in Australia living in Geelong with her female partner Lee Johnson.

How much can Bev Francis bench press?

Bev’s best lifts: Bench press – 151.9kg. Deadlift – 227.2kg.