Anja Meyer was injured with a torn ACL, yet she was named one of the top 10 BIGO ICONS of 2025

Author & Photography: BIGO LIVE @bigolive.usa

 

Model: Anja Meyer @anjameyers

 

Los Angeles, November 17, 2025

Throughout June, July, August and September, Anja competed successfully in the international broadcaster pageant-style talent competition BIGO ICON 2025, and she was named one of the top 10 Bigo Icons of 2025. She surpassed thousands of other contestants from the North America region and 25+ participating Latin American countries during the four-month elimination stages. BIGO ICON 2025 was the biggest multi-stage competition yet for BIGO LIVE broadcasters across the US, Canada, and Latin America. It was the ultimate creator elimination challenge that started with thousands of auditions; 800 contestants were selected, and systematically it got narrowed down to 10 winners through distinct competitive phases.

The Phase Schedule consisted of an Audition Round to select 800 contestants, Round 1, cutting 800 down to 400, and Round 2, narrowing 400 to 16. There was also a Redemption Round for re-entry opportunities. Several stages determined who advanced through the Leaderboard, Hype Track, and Stack Track challenges. The Star Judging Round on August 14 combined celebrity judge scoring with audience votes to select the final 10 from 16 semi-finalists. The judges scored talent, creativity and originality. Anja was showing some artworks and performing a challenge to sketch and recite a poem at the same time. The top 10 finalists won prize money and all-expenses-paid trips to Colombia for the spectacular live finale with photoshoots and stage performances held in Bogota on September 17th! Due to a sports knee injury, Anja unfortunately wasn’t able to travel to Colombia, yet she shared her elegance and flair with the world. For the All Star finale, she participated remotely with a 2-minute performance video, showcasing a monologue about her Bigo journey, and with a 30-second fashion runway video, walking with crutches and a knee brace. The event was marked by the presence of celebrity judges Mia Dio and Nigerian Nupe, who scored the finalists’ performance for talent, stage presence and presentation and the runway for outfit, walk and stage charm. The judges’ scoring counted for 50%, and an audience vote box for 50%. Donflocko from the USA has been crowned the champion winner of ‘Bigo ICON 2025”.

Anja not only captivated the judges with her striking beauty but also through her charm and experience due to being a model in advertisements and fashion for over a decade for iconic brands like Siemens, Singapore Airlines and HP (Hewlett-Packard). Anja is well established and widely recognizable, was even on billboards, walked the runway at Miss Bigo International 2025 in Vietnam, and won multiple Bigo Awards and several international trips. Anja joined the competition to inspire as a symbol of strength and determination and to celebrate cultural expression and worldwide connection, and as a proud finalist contestant, she was showcasing poise, talent, and international elegance, despite being injured and unable to walk but still competing, and sparking inspiration for each and everyone around the world to embrace your uniqueness with self-love, pursue your dreams fearlessly, and always believe in yourself. In June, about 5 months ago, Anja injured her knee during kickboxing exercises, and she explains, “I tore my ACL, MCL, and LCL, amongst other injuries like bone contusions, focal meniscal capsular separation, pivot shift trauma of the medial tibial plateau, and Baker’s cyst. This successful broadcaster competition, being named one of the top 10 Bigo Icons of 2025, shows that I am a living example of staying strong no matter if it's good times or tough times. Surely, slow and steady wins the race after all.”

Anja Meyer won a multitude of prizes. As the Round 2 track winner, she walked away with prize money, a physical trophy, and a livestream ring light. She also received a merch box for competing in the Star Judging round and an exclusive merch item as an All Star Top 10 finalist. Due to her sports knee injury, she wasn’t able to travel sadly, yet she was able to participate remotely, and instead of the flight and luxury hotel accommodation, she was able to pick a new iPhone 17 as an alternative prize. 

Currently she is slowly recovering from her injury and shares how grateful she is for Bigo: “I am so thankful for all the amazing prizes, but even more for the opportunity. I am not able to walk or even stand very long and am physically not able to do many modeling projects. Now again, broadcasting has saved me during unpredictable times, like it did during the pandemic and the lockdown before.”