ROSEMONT, Ill. - Othello native Meghan Olsen, 21, finished seventh in the National Physique Committee's Junior National Bodybuilding Figure Championships held at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare Hotel last weekend.

"I'm pretty happy with my placement," Olsen said Wednesday. "I have only been competing for a year now, so to take seventh place in a national event is really exciting for me."

Olsen, competed in the "Short Class" category, which was made of 14 women who stood 5 feet 11/4 inches tall. She qualified for the event by placing third in her first competition in Auburn last July.

"It was a practice show to see how my body would respond," Olsen said. "I was surprised to place third as I was just trying to get in some practice time."

She then went on to compete in the Night of Champions event last fall in Spokane and took second place.

Olsen said she first became interested in the sport after seeing a friend compete in a body building event.

"Through that experience I ended up meeting Todd Scott, former owner of Sleek Physique in Moses Lake, who is now a national level body builder, coach and personal trainer," she said. "So I decided to give it a shot and see if I liked it."