Tonya Knight
{{Short description|American bodybuilder (1966–2023)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox bodybuilder
| image =
| caption =
| nickname = Gold
| birth_date = {{birth date|1966|03|24}}
| birth_place = Peculiar, Missouri, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|02|07|1966|03|24}}
| death_place =
| firstproshow = IFBB Pro World Championships
| bestwin = IFBB Ms. International champion
| predecessor = Laura Creavalle
| successor = Anja Schreiner
| yesorretiredyear = Retired 1993
}}
Tonya Knight (March 24, 1966 – February 7, 2023) was an American professional bodybuilder.
Early life
Tonya Knight was born in 1966 in Peculiar, Missouri.[http://www.metacritic.com/person/tonya-knight Tonya Knight] She played volleyball and softball in school and got into bodybuilding as a teenager after seeing Rachel McLish on a magazine cover. She did her first bodybuilding show when a senior in high school and earned the right to turned pro at only 19 after winning an amateur contest in Japan.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Tonya Knight (1966-2023), The Life of a Bodybuilding Icon |url=https://thebarbell.com/tonya-knight/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=The Barbell |language=en-US}}
Bodybuilding career
=Professional=
Knight finished fourth in the 1988 Ms. Olympia, but she later admitted sending a surrogate to take a mandatory drug test administered before the event after IFBB officials presented strong evidence. In a ruling handed down in November 1989, she was suspended, stripped of her 1989 Ms. International title (which went to runner-up Jackie Paisley) and asked to return her 1989 Ms. International and 1988 Ms. Olympia prize money, totaling $12,000. After the scandal, she returned to the stage in 1991, winning the Ms. International title, this time without incident. She went on to compete in only two more pro contests, the last in 1993.[https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224015/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-141440047.html 15 biggest controversies and shocking moments in bodybuilding history.(FEATURE)]
=Legacy=
= Contest history =
- 1984 NPC USA Championship - 11th (LHW)
- 1985 NPC USA Championship - 6th (HW)
- 1986 NPC USA Championship - 4th (HW)
- 1988 Pro World Championship - 5th
- 1988 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 4th (later disqualified)
- 1989 Ms. International - 1st (later disqualified)
- 1991 IFBB Grand Prix Italy - 1st
- 1991 Ms. International - 1st
- 1992 Ms. International - 6th
- 1993 Jan Tana Classic - 3rd[http://www.musclememory.com/show.php?a=Knight,+Tonya&g=1 Tonya Knight]
Personal life and death
Knight lived in Overland Park, Kansas. She was married to the late bodybuilder John Poteat, but they divorced. She had three brothers Timothy, Todd, and Travis, and several step- and in-law siblings, as well as a son named Malachi.
Knight died from cancer on February 7, 2023, at age 56.{{cite news |last1=Murray |first1=Doug |title=Iconic Women’s Bodybuilder Tonya Knight Passes Away at 56 After Battle with Cancer |url=https://fitnessvolt.com/tonya-knight-obituary/ |access-date=8 February 2023 |publisher=Fitness Volt |date=7 February 2023}}
=Television appearance=
From 1989 to 1992, Knight was a regular on American Gladiators as the character Gold, until she left due to an injury to her left knee.[http://www.ifbbpro.com/2011-joe-weider-hall-of-fame-inductees/ 2011 Joe Weider Hall of Fame Inductees]
References
{{reflist}}
{{S-start}}
| colspan = 3 align = center | Ms. International
|-
| width = 30% align = center | Preceded by:
Laura Creavalle
| width = 40% align = center | First (1991)
| width = 30% align = center | Succeeded by:
Anja Schreiner
{{S-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Tonya}}
Category:People from Peculiar, Missouri
Category:Actresses from Kansas
Category:Actresses from Missouri
Category:Actresses from Oregon
Category:American female bodybuilders
Category:People from Jackson County, Oregon
Category:Sportspeople from Overland Park, Kansas
Category:American professional bodybuilders
Category:Sportspeople from Ashland, Oregon
Category:Sportspeople from Missouri