Marianne von Gierke

Marianne Von Gierke's death was announced on 14 October 2026. She was 40. The news was confirmed by NPC Worldwide Chile, the national affiliate of the IFBB Pro League's amateur federation, in a joint social media statement with Chilean bodybuilder Felipe Isaac Fierro, and was also confirmed by her family. RXMuscle and Team Commando also shared tributes.

Regional outlets in Magallanes reported that she died outside the region. No cause of death or other circumstances were made public. Her family was expected to give details about the return of her remains to Punta Arenas and her funeral.

Her death came less than three weeks after she finished 13th at the 2026 Olympia in Las Vegas. NPC Chile said Chilean bodybuilding was in mourning and that she would be remembered for her dedication, her discipline and for taking her talent to the Olympia stage.

Marianne Belen Von Gierke Barassi came from Punta Arenas, the capital of the Magallanes region in southern Chile. Regional reports describe her as having been involved in sport from an early age before she turned to bodybuilding.

She trained as a lawyer and practised law alongside her sporting career. Little else about her childhood and family has been documented in published reports.

Von Gierke made her bodybuilding competition debut in 2014 and went on to represent Chile in international amateur events. In 2020 she competed at the amateur Olympia in the United States, winning the Figure category and finishing third in Women's Physique. In 2021 she won her class and the overall title at a further competition in the United States, earning her IFBB Pro card.

As a professional in the IFBB Pro League's Women's Physique division she placed fifth at the 2022 Puerto Rico Pro, sixth at the 2022 Toronto Pro Supershow and the 2022 Omaha Pro, and seventh at the 2023 St. Louis Pro.

In April 2024 she won the Vancouver Island Showdown Pro in Victoria, Canada, qualifying for the Olympia, where she finished 16th in Women's Physique. She placed tenth at the 2025 Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro.

In 2026 she finished sixth at the Texas Pro and then won the Rising Phoenix Arizona Pro on 22 August with a perfect score, ahead of Winsome White and Sarah Crail. That victory took her back to the Olympia in Las Vegas in late September 2026, where she finished 13th in a division won by Natalia Abraham Coelho. Chilean media described her as the first Chilean Women's Physique athlete to qualify for the Olympia twice.

Von Gierke was a lawyer by profession and kept a strong connection to Magallanes throughout her career. In interviews she said that representing her region was a source of pride, and she described the strict training and eating routines of high level bodybuilding as a near permanent commitment and a central part of her life. She shared her training and competitions with followers on Instagram under the name mari.gierke.ifbbpro.

Von Gierke was regarded in Chile as one of the leading figures of women's bodybuilding and a pioneer for the country in the Women's Physique division. Her two Olympia qualifications and two professional wins put Magallanes and Chile on the sport's biggest stages, and her steady improvement in her final season, ending with a career best Olympia placing, made her death especially shocking to the bodybuilding community. NPC Worldwide Chile said she left a mark on the sport and inspired those who shared her passion for it.