Mr. Olympia

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Mr. Olympia
250px
The Mr. Olympia stage in 2008
LocationUnited States
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Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB).[1] Joe Weider created the contest to enable the Mr. Universe winners to continue competing and to earn money. The first Mr. Olympia was held on September 18, 1965, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, with Larry Scott winning his first of two straight titles.[2]

The record number of wins is eight each by Lee Haney (1984–1991) and Ronnie Coleman (1998–2005).[3] Big Ramy currently holds the title.

The film Pumping Iron (1977) featured the buildup to the 1975 Mr. Olympia in Pretoria, South Africa, and helped launch the acting careers of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, and Franco Columbu[4]

There is also a female bodybuilder crowned, Ms. Olympia, as well as winners of Fitness Olympia and Figure Olympia for fitness and figure competitors. All four contests occur during the same weekend. From 1994 to 2003, and again in 2012, a Masters Olympia was also crowned.[5] Globally,[6] a version with amateur competitors is also presented, the Mr. Olympia Amateur.[7]

History[]

1960s[]

The 1965 and 1966 Mr. Olympia were won by Larry Scott, a famous bodybuilder of the time. Scott subsequently retired after his 1966 victory, and to date is the only Mr. Olympia champion to have never lost a Mr. Olympia competition.[8]

Harold Poole holds two Mr. Olympia distinctions : one is that he is the youngest ever competitor to have participated in the Olympia—in 1965 he competed in the first Mr. Olympia at the age of 21;[9] the other is that he was the only man to compete in all three of the initial Mr. Olympia contests.[10]

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The 1967 Mr. Olympia, won by Sergio Oliva, heralded a new era in bodybuilding competition. At 5 ft 10 ins and 240 lbs[11] Oliva, nicknamed "The Myth",[8] displayed an unforeseen level of muscle mass and definition, including a "V" shape of a large and a well-formed upper-body that tapered down to a narrow waist.[12]

Oliva would go on to win the Mr. Olympia competition in 1967, 1968 (uncontested),[8] and 1969—where he would defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger four to three,[8] marking Schwarzenegger's only loss in a Mr. Olympia competition.[13]

1970s[]

Schwarzenegger defeated Oliva at the 1970 Mr. Olympia after finishing second the year before, and also won in 1971 (being the only competitor). He defeated Oliva again in 1972, and went on to win the next three Mr. Olympia competitions, including the 1975 edition, which was highlighted in the 1977 docudrama Pumping Iron and featured other notable bodybuilders such as Lou Ferrigno, Serge Nubret, and Franco Columbu, who would go on to win the 1976 and 1981 competitions.[4]

From 1974 until 1979, a dual weight division system was used, splitting competitors into two categories: "Heavyweights" (over 200lbs) and "Lightweights" (under 200lbs). The winners of each division would then compete against each other to decide an overall champion.

After winning the 1975 competition, Schwarzenegger announced his retirement from competitive bodybuilding; this was also depicted in Pumping Iron.[14]

Frank Zane won the 1977, 1978, and 1979 competitions.[8] 1976 was the first year the Sandow trophy was awarded.[8]

1980s[]

In 1980, Schwarzenegger came out of retirement to win the Olympia yet again, after a five-year hiatus. Schwarzenegger (who was supposedly training for his "Conan" movie) had been a late entry into the competition, and his competitors did not know of his intentions to compete. This seventh victory was especially controversial, as most fellow competitors and observers felt that he lacked both muscle mass and conditioning, and shouldn't have won over Chris Dickerson or Mike Mentzer. Several athletes vowed to boycott the contest the following year, and Mentzer retired for good.[15]

The following year, Franco Columbu was victorious for the second time. Chris Dickerson won his only title in 1982, making him the first openly gay Mr. Olympia,[2] and Samir Bannout won his only title in 1983.[16] Then in 1984 Lee Haney won the first of 8 straight Mr. Olympia titles.[17]

1990s[]

Haney retired from competitive bodybuilding after his last Mr. Olympia victory in 1991.[18] Having placed second to Haney the previous year, Dorian Yates won the competition six straight times from 1992 until 1997. Dorian is given credit for revolutionizing the sport during his reign as Mr. Olympia by combining larger mass than seen before with what was dubbed "granite hardness".[19]

In the 1990s, the use of growth hormones by bodybuilders was reported, and they started to appear in competitions with an increasing physical size. Writing for Men's Health in 2016, journalist Lou Schuler questioned whether Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman competed "naturally" or used hormones.[20]

Yates retired from competitive bodybuilding after his 1997 victory, having accumulated several injuries. Ronnie Coleman, who placed 9th in 1997, surprised everyone with a much improved physique in 1998, winning the first of 8 consecutive titles.[8]

In 1994, a separate Masters Olympia competition for professional bodybuilders was created, to compete at the highest levels in their later years.[21]

2000s[]

Ronnie Coleman

Ronnie Coleman won the Mr. Olympia competition eight consecutive times,[8] tying the record set by Lee Haney. Coleman, nicknamed "The King", is widely regarded as the greatest body-builder in Olympia history and began the mass monster era. Coleman returned in 2006 to try to beat the record for Olympia wins but was unable even to defend his title, instead placed second to Jay Cutler, who won his first title after four consecutive years of finishing second to Coleman. Cutler successfully defended his title in 2007. Coleman came in fourth place and announced his retirement from competition,[22] ending one of the biggest rivalries in the competition's history.

In 2008, Dexter Jackson defeated Jay Cutler and became Mr. Olympia.[8] In 2009, Jay Cutler returned and regained the title.[23]

2010s[]

In 2010, Cutler returned to claim his fourth Mr. Olympia title, becoming the fifth competitor in Olympia history to win the title more than three times. In 2011, Phil Heath defeated Cutler for the title, beginning a winning streak that lasted until 2018.[8] From 2012 to 2014, the Olympia was dominated by the rivalry between Kai Greene and Heath, with Heath winning all three and Greene placing second.

Starting in 2016, a new division called Classic Physique was introduced. Danny Hester was the inaugural champion in Classic Physique division.[24]

Heath won his seventh-consecutive Mr. Olympia in 2017,[8] with Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay taking second. With his 2017 win, Heath tied Arnold Schwarzenegger for second most Olympia victories, behind Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman who won eight.[8]

Shawn Rhoden defeated Phil Heath in 2018, snapping Heath's streak of seven victories.[8] The 2019 Mr. Olympia was won by Brandon Curry.[8]

Starting in 2018, a new division called Wheelchair Olympia was added.[25]

2020s[]

In 2020 Phil Heath returned to try to win a record-tying eighth title,[26] but Big Ramy won the Olympia for his first title.[27] Big Ramy won for the second time in 2021.[28]

Qualifying[]

The IFBB selects Olympia contestants from among the highest-placed competitors at various qualifying competitions, collectively referred to as the Olympia Qualifying Season. The qualifying season for each Olympia runs for a year, and ends a few months before the competition. Under updated qualifying rules announced by the IFBB in 2019, to qualify for most divisions at the Olympia an IFBB athlete must meet one of the following criteria:[29]

  • Place in the top five in their division at the previous Olympia
  • Win any of the IFBB qualifying contests
  • Rank among the top three in total points awarded for second through fifth place at qualifying competitions

For certain divisions with more than 25 qualifying competitions, slightly different rules are used: The previous Olympia winner is automatically qualified, plus the winner of each qualifying competition and the top five in total points.

The IFBB Professional League also has the discretion to extend special invitations to other competitors.

Winners[]

Chronologically[]

# Year Winner(s)[a] Award[30] Venue
1 1965 United States Larry Scott[31] $1,000 United States New York, United States
2 1966
3 1967 Cuba Sergio Oliva[32]
4 1968
5 1969
6 1970 Austria Arnold Schwarzenegger[32]
7 1971 France Paris, France
8 1972 West Germany Essen, West Germany
9 1973 United States New York, United States
10 1974
  		Austria Arnold Schwarzenegger[32]
(Heavyweight & Overall) 		Italy Franco Columbu
(Lightweight)
11 1975
  		$2,500 Union of South Africa Pretoria, South Africa
12 1976
  		Italy Franco Columbu[32]
(Lightweight & Overall) 		United States Ken Waller
(Heavyweight) 		$5,000 United States Columbus, United States
13 1977
  		United States Frank Zane[32]
(Lightweight & Overall) 		United States Robby Robinson
(Heavyweight)
14 1978
  		$15,000
15 1979
  		United States Mike Mentzer
(Heavyweight) 		$25,000
16 1980 Austria Arnold Schwarzenegger[32] Australia Sydney, Australia
17 1981 Italy Franco Columbu[32] United States Columbus, United States
18 1982 United States Chris Dickerson[32] United Kingdom London, United Kingdom
19 1983 Lebanon Samir Bannout[32] West Germany Munich, West Germany
20 1984 United States Lee Haney[32] $50,000 United States New York, United States
21 1985 Belgium Brussels, Belgium
22 1986 $55,000 United States Columbus, United States
23 1987 Sweden Gothenburg, Sweden
24 1988 Unknown United States Los Angeles, United States
25 1989 Italy Rimini, Italy
26 1990 $100,000 United States Chicago, United States
27 1991 United States Orlando, United States
28 1992 United Kingdom Dorian Yates[32] Finland Helsinki, Finland
29 1993 United States Atlanta, United States
30 1994
31 1995 $110,000
32 1996 United States Chicago, United States
33 1997 United States Los Angeles, United States
34 1998 United States Ronnie Coleman[32] United States New York, United States
35 1999 United States Las Vegas, United States
36 2000
37 2001
38 2002
39 2003
40 2004 $120,000
41 2005 $150,000
42 2006 United States Jay Cutler[32] $155,000
43 2007
44 2008 United States Dexter Jackson[32]
45 2009 United States Jay Cutler[32] $200,000
46 2010
47 2011 United States Phil Heath[32]
48 2012 $250,000
49 2013
50 2014 $275,000
51 2015 $400,000
52 2016
53 2017
54 2018 United States Shawn Rhoden[33]
55 2019 United States Brandon Curry[34]
56 2020 Egypt Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay[35] United States Orlando, United States
57
  1. ^ Competition was split into two weight classes from 1974 through 1979, with one division winner then named the Overall champion.

Number of overall wins[]

Rank Mr. Olympia champion Year(s) Number of wins
Overall Heavyweight Lightweight
1 United States Lee Haney 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991 8 0 0
United States Ronnie Coleman 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 8 0 0
2 Austria Arnold Schwarzenegger 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 (overall & heavyweight), 1975 (overall & heavyweight), and 1980 7 2 0
United States Phil Heath 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 7 0 0
3 United Kingdom Dorian Yates 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 6 0 0
4 United States Jay Cutler 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010 4 0 0
5 United States Frank Zane 1977 (overall & lightweight), 1978 (overall & lightweight), 1979 (overall & lightweight) 3 0 3
Cuba Sergio Oliva 1967, 1968, and 1969 3 0 0
6 Italy Franco Columbu 1974 (lightweight), 1975 (lightweight), 1976 (overall & lightweight), and 1981 2 0 3
Egypt Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay 2020 and 2021 2 0 0
United States Larry Scott 1965 and 1966 2 0 0
7 United States Chris Dickerson 1982 1 0 0
Lebanon Samir Bannout 1983 1 0 0
United States Dexter Jackson 2008 1 0 0
United States Shawn Rhoden 2018 1 0 0
United States Brandon Curry 2019 1 0 0
8 United States Robby Robinson 1977 (heavyweight) and 1978 (heavyweight) 0 2 0
United States Kenny Waller 1976 (heavyweight) 0 1 0
United States Mike Mentzer 1979 (heavyweight) 0 1 0

Number of consecutive wins[]

Rank Mr. Olympia champion Years Number of consecutive wins
Overall Heavyweight Lightweight
1 United States Lee Haney 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991 8 0 0
United States Ronnie Coleman 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 8 0 0
2 United States Phil Heath 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 7 0 0
3 Austria Arnold Schwarzenegger 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975 6 2 0
United Kingdom Dorian Yates 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 6 0 0
4 United States Frank Zane 1977, 1978 and 1979 3 0 3
Cuba Sergio Oliva 1967, 1968 and 1969 3 0 0
5 United States Jay Cutler 2006 and 2007, 2009 and 2010 2 (twice) 0 0
6 United States Larry Scott 1965 and 1966 2 0 0
Egypt Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay 2020 and 2021 2 0 0

Classic Physique[]

# Year Winner Venue
1 2017 United States [36][37] United States Las Vegas, United States[38]
2 2018
3 2019 Canada Chris Bumstead[39][40]
4 2020 United States Orlando, United States[38]
5 2021

Men's 212 division[]

# Year Winner Venue
1 2012 Wales Flex Lewis United States Las Vegas, United States[38]
2 2013
3 2014
4 2015
5 2016
6 2017
7 2018
8 2019 Libya Kamal Elgargni
9 2020 United States Shaun Clarida United States Orlando, United States[38]
10 2021 United States

Men's Physique[]

# Year Winner Venue
1 2013 United States United States Las Vegas, United States[41]
2 2014 United States Jeremy Buendia[41]
3 2015
4 2016
5 2017
6 2018 United States [41]
7 2019 United States [41]
8 2020 United States United States Orlando, United States[41]
9 2021

Mr. Olympia Amateur[]

Mr. Olympia Amateur is a competition that globally awards the best amateur competitors with an IFBB Pro Card,[42] bringing them closer to competing in the main Mr. Olympia.[7] According to the official website as of March 2022, the event is presented in regions with a specific organization around the world: Pakistan, Eastern Europe, Beijin (China), Spain, Portugal, Brazil, South Korea, Italy, Japan, South America, India, Las Vegas (USA).[6]

See also[]

Further reading[]

  • Wayne, Rick (1985). Muscle Wars: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of Competitive Bodybuilding. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 93, 95, 250, 257. ISBN 0-312-55353-6. OCLC 12107650.

References[]

  1. ^ "IFBB.com - History of Mr. Olympia". Archived from the original on 2012-11-22. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  2. ^ a b "Every Winner of the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Competition". Barbend. December 20, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Phil Heath Confirms He Will Compete In Mr. Olympia 2020". Generation Iron. 7 August 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b "Why the 1980 Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Contest Was So Controversial". Barbend. April 10, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "IFBB 2012 MASTERS OLYMPIA". Muscle and Fitness. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b "Home". Olympia Amateur. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "We Give You The Lowdown On The Mr. Olympia Amateur That's Happening In India This Year". Mens Xp. 8 September 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "10 FUN FACTS ABOUT MR. OLYMPIA". Muscle and Fitness. 3 September 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Every Winner of the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Competition". Bafbend. 17 December 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Mr Olympia: Through the Years". Protein Hunter. 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  11. ^ Merritt, Greg (21 April 2016). "THE PHYSIQUES AND JOURNEYS OF SERGIO OLIVA SR. AND JR". Muscle and Fitness. Retrieved July 23, 2021. In all of bodybuilding’s long and rich history there is no pose more associated with one person than Sergio Oliva’s victory pose. It’s his. Standing tall and straight with colossal arms overhead, fists balled and turned outward, and lats flaring above his wispy waist, his upper body formed a V for victory atop a base of abundant legs. His rendition at the ’72 Olympia is our sport’s most indelible image. The victory pose is so associated with the Myth and so difficult for even the best bodybuilders to pull off that few have even attempted it.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Retired Chicago cop dies, only bodybuilder to beat Schwarzenegger". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "THE ULTIMATE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER TRAINING GUIDE". Muscle and Fitness. 26 October 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Hansen, John. "The 1980 Mr. Olympia Controversy | Iron Man Magazine". www.ironmanmagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  15. ^ "OLYMPIA LEGEND: SAMIR BANNOUT". Muscle and Fitness. August 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "8X MR. OLYMPIA LEE HANEY SHARES HIS SECRET TO QUALITY MUSCLE". Muscle and Fitness. 27 June 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "IS IT WORTH IT?". Muscle and Fitness. 20 July 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Dorian Yates Addresses The Rumours 1 / 2. Carter (YouTube).
  19. ^ "See the Dramatic Changes In Bodybuilders' Physiques Over the Past 125 Years". Mens Health. 12 May 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "ED CORNEY ROLLS BACK THE YEARS AT THE MASTERS OLYMPIA". Muscular Development. Retrieved July 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ "RONNIE COLEMAN WORKED OUT WITH A HERNIATED DISC FOR 10 YEARS". Muscle and Fitness. 15 June 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ "THE GREATEST OLYMPIA COMEBACKS EVER". Muscle and Fitness. 21 July 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Danny Hester wins the first ever Classic Physique Olympia". Evolution Bodybuilding. 18 September 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "Wheelchair Olympia". Mr. Olympia. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ "The Historical Significance of Phil Heath and the 2020 Mr. Olympia". Barbend. 8 August 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ "Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay Wins the 2020 Mr. Olympia". Barbend. 20 December 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ "Mr. Olympia prize money breakdown: How much do the winners make in 2021?".
  28. ^ IFBB Pro League Staff (August 20, 2019). "2020 Olympia Qualification System". IFBB Professional League. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
  29. ^ "Mr. Olympia gets a pay raise over last 60 years". The Chive. 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  30. ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (17 March 2014). "Larry Scott, Bodybuilder Who Inspired Schwarzenegger, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "These Are All the Winners of the Mr. Olympia Competition". Men's Health. December 20, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ^ "Bodybuilder Shawn Rhoden Banned from Olympia". Barbend. 15 July 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ^ "Brandon Curry Wins 2019 Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Title". Barbend. 15 September 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  34. ^ "Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay Wins the 2020 Mr. Olympia". Barbend. 20 December 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ "RESULTS: Breon Ansley wins the 2017 Classic Physique Olympia". Evolution of Bodybuilding. 16 September 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ "RESULTS: Breon Ansley wins the Classic Physique 2018 Olympia". Evolution of Bodybuilding. 15 September 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  37. ^ a b c d "212 Division". Mr Olympia. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  38. ^ "Canada's Chris Bumstead wins 2019 Classic Physique Olympia". Barbend. 20 December 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  39. ^ "Chris Bumstead 2019 Classic Physique Olympia Win Draws Serious Drama". Fitness Volt. 18 September 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  40. ^ a b c d e "Men's Physique". Mr. Olympia. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  41. ^ "IFBB PRO™ CARD WINNERS 2019". NPC News Online. 19 November 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links[]

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