The wheels appeared to be in danger of coming off the Big Ron juggernaut when Gustavo Badell won the $25,000 Challenge Round and Jay Cutler surprisingly claimed the prize for best legs. But the king, who came out for his posing routine wearing a robe and crown, won the award that mattered most when WWE superstar Triple H announced the unsmiling Cutler in second place.
Coleman immediately sank to his knees and stayed there for several minutes until he was able to comprehend the magnitude of what he'd achieved. He had bettered the seven Olympia titles won by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was present to witness the achievement and tied the eight won by 80s star Haney.
IFBB president Ben Weider hailed the giant Texan 'the greatest ever Olympian' for reaching a record many thought would never be matched.
At first the show looked more like a coronation than a contest. Coleman, drawn last of the 21 competitors, blew the audience away when he stepped on stage for the compulsory poses at pre-judging. Huge, detailed and with his troublesome midsection under control, he got the first call-out in both the symmetry and muscularity rounds.
But street fighter Cutler was in the shape of his life and came on strong in the evening show. Badell also posed a threat, particularly when he won the Challenge Round, a separate show held within the show that was judged by former Olympian champions Dorian Yates, Frank Zane, Sergio Oliva, Samir Bannout and Larry Scott.
Fourth-placed Gunter Schlierkamp was in his best ever Olympia condition but Coleman was too good to be denied. His crowning moment was one of the greatest in Olympia history as he recalled how he'd gone from pizza delivery boy to top of the bodybuilding tree.
Victor Martinez rounded out the top five ahead of Dennis James, who now competes for Germany.
The biggest upsets were Chris Cormier and Markus Rühl's failure to crack the top 10. Neither could complain - they weren't in great shape and a lot of hungry young contenders were, most notably Branch Warren, Johnnie Jackson and German Ronny Rockel.
Mike Sheridan provided British interest in the show but despite giving it his all this was a huge step up in class and he failed to break into the top 15 that were invited back in the evening to perform their routines.
Fellow Brit Eddie Abbew gave a great performance in the wildcard competition the night before the main event in which the winner earned the right to compete on the Olympia stage. However, American favourite David Henry took the prize.
There was controversy, as always, in the women's show where many of the athletes, including defending champion Iris Kyle, came in smaller according to the new criterion only for the trophy to go to the massive Venezuelan Yaxeni Oriquen.
Jen Hendershott took the Fitness Olympia crown while Davana Medina became a three-time Olympia champ with victory in the figure contest.
By John Plummer
For the first time since Ronnie Coleman won the Sandow in 1998, a competitor caught him from behind. That man was Jay Cutler, and whenever the two went mano-a-mano in a back pose, it was evident how far Cutler had come in his development. In a feat many thought would never happen, Coleman, he of the freaky mass and stunning detail in his lats, mid-back and traps, was far from a shoo-in on this pose.
However, in the end, even that wasn't enough to stop the reign of Coleman, who made it eight in a row, tying him with Lee Haney for the Olympia record.
All told, this Olympia had more than its share of trauma, drama and controversy. From the opening segment of the night show, when powerlifter Gene Rychalik took the stage to attempt to break his all-time bench press record and press 1,015 pounds, only to end up broken himself under the bar as his try went awry, it was a crazy night. There were disgruntled athletes backstage, crying foul over the supposed "belly ban" that didn't seem to alter the scores in any way. You had wasp-waisted David Henry and Kris Dim out of the top 10, the most overlooked bodybuilder in the show in Darrem Charles crashing into ninth (when he just as easily could have been as high as third), and you had a top six where again the mass monsters dominated - mighty Dennis James in sixth, massive Gunter Schlierkamp in fourth, and of course Coleman and Cutler in the top two spots. (Sandwiched in between were a very happy Victor Martinez in fifth and Gustavo Badell notching third for the second year in a row, an accomplishment he should be truly proud of.)
As part of the proceedings, the second-ever Challenge Round was held, as judged by former Mr. Olympias Larry Scott, Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane, Samir Bannout and Dorian Yates. A few technical difficulties marred the round, but in the end Gustavo Badell emerged the victor, $25,000 richer for the effort. Interestingly, during the round (which didn't count in the overall standings), Coleman lost a few poses, including a side triceps to both Cutler and Badell, and the tiebreaker, which was a general pose-off between him and Badell.
Other notable finishes on this 40th anniversary of the greatest show in bodybuilding include Jordan's Mustafa Mohammad breaking into the top 10, Branch Warren maintaining his roll - he won two pro shows in the past month - by coming in eighth, and Melvin Anthony, who clocked in at No. 7. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also made an appearance, stepping on stage with Joe Weider, who was honored with a standing ovation after the two spoke to the capacity crowd.
While the show ended much like seven others before it - Coleman flat on the floor as the announcement of second place was made, overwhelmed by his moment of triumph - the chain of events to that point was anything but ordinary. This was a Mr. Olympia that - for better or worse - will be talked about in bodybuilding circles for a long time.
Written by: Michael Berg, Flex Executive Editor |
