GREATEST ‘O’ ON EARTH In an epic battle that came down to the final pose of the night, defending champ Ronnie Coleman edges out Jay Cutler to win his seventh straight Mr. Olympia crown By the M&F Staff Ronnie Coleman called for a rear lat spread and it was on. Who knew he even had a nickname for it — the rear lat “lights out” spread? He and Jay Cutler turned their backs. A buzzer sounded to signal them to hit the pose, then another one five seconds later told them to relax. They both looked up at the scoreboard. The red button under Ronnie’s name flashed, confirming that for the seventh consecutive year, Ronnie was Mr. Olympia, putting him even with Arnold Schwarzenegger for career O victories and one shy of the all-time leader, Lee Haney. In the end, the newly anointed scoreboard would show that Ronnie won the most exciting Olympia in history by a mere three points. Not that the champ lacked size or quality; last year Ronnie came in at a larger-than-ever 287 pounds and blew the field away. This time he showed up at 296. And now for the scary part: he sacrificed nothing in symmetry and detail in doing so and actually displayed an improved, noticeably slimmed-down midsection, longconsidered his most obvious trouble spot. Jay added size to his physique, too — around 20 pounds more — but who can blame him for finishing runner-up for the third time in four years? As close as it was on the scorecard, as thrilling as it was for those watching in the sold-out Mandalay Bay Events Centre in Las Vegas, in the end Ronnie proved to be too massive, too detailed and too shredded to not take the Sandow home. “When Ronnie calls out a lat spread, it’s tough,” Jay said after the show. “He’s tough to beat from the back. This is definitely the best combination of size and condition I’ve ever brought to the stage, and I feel I went toe to toe with Ronnie as far as muscularity. Was it Ronnie’s best package? I don’t think so. But that’s the way it goes.” Günter Schlierkamp called for a back double biceps and bodybuilding had officially evolved. The Challenge Round made the Olympia, entering its 40th year, more entertaining to the fans. It tossed the outcome of the O up in the air a bit, giving other bodybuilders a legitimate chance to steal the Sandow. A guy now had an opportunity in the night show, provided he was in the top six, to stage a comeback and leapfrog in the standings over those who had beaten him in prejudging, a feat almost unheard of before the advent of the Challenge Round. That such a scenario played out in this first-ever rendition, as thousands of cheering fans rose to their feet for the final pose of the evening — with No. 1 and No. 2 squaring off and the winner of the controversial rear lat spread between Jay and Ronnie taking the title — was probably more exhilarating than even the architects of the new Olympia envisioned. But before we jump ahead to revisit that moment one more time, a bit more on the events leading to that climax. The top six were announced after all the competitors’ individual posing routines: Ronnie, Jay, Dexter Jackson, Gustavo Badell (the surprise of the night), Markus Rühl and Günter, in that order. Scores from the previous three rounds were thrown out and the six were assigned new point totals according to their placings — Ronnie at six points, Jay with five and on down to Günter at one point. Chris Cormier (seventh), Dennis James (eighth) and Darrem Charles (10th) were forced to watch the new round commence backstage. Should they have been relegated to such a fate? Look at the photos and argue amongst yourselves; this is, after all, a subjective sport. Starting with Günter, each of the six was given a turn to go head-to-head with the other five, choosing one of eight mandatory poses, so that every bodybuilder went against one another twice, 10 poses total, with two points awarded for every win. The same pose could only be called twice per person. The Challenge Round had a companion — the scoreboard. You know the part about making the O more entertaining for fans? The scoreboard moved that agenda forward by light-years. Come on, what sport doesn’t have a scoreboard? After each pose, the board was updated in real time to reflect any change in standings, which happened frequently, starting with Markus climbing the ranks after winning three of his five challenges, only to drop back down after Gustavo reeled off three wins of his own. The Challenge Round also had its share of celebrities; in fact, it was downright star-studded. After cracking up everyone he crossed paths with backstage, actor and comedian Tom Arnold stepped up to the podium and introduced the round. Sylvester Stallone, still with an amazing physique of his own, came on next and explained the rules. Then the tag team of WWE wrestler Triple H and play-by-play guy Joe Amato took over. Triple H proved to be everything you’d want in a commentator, with a well-received blend of friendly razzing of the bodybuilders and signature WWE in-your-face incitement. Who knew that adding a dash of pro wrestling to the mix would be so befitting? Dexter Jackson called for an abs and thigh against Ronnie and lost. Wait...how can Dexter lose an abs/thigh to Ronnie? It’s not like Dex was off or anything; he was as sharp as ever. But herein lies the beauty of the Challenge Round — anything can happen. In this instance, the judges chose mind-blowing mass over pure symmetry, an amazingly conditioned big man over the sliced-and-diced smaller man. The ebb and flow of bodybuilding’s most central debate played out another chapter, and it was a barn-burner. Still, third place was Dexter’s for the taking, except he lost both times that he faced Gustavo, in a side triceps pose (picked by Gustavo) and a most muscular (Dex’s choice), resulting in a one-point defeat. Which raises the question, where on earth did Gustavo come from? This was his first Olympia. Hadn’t he heard you’re not supposed to place top three at your first O? Unless, of course, you’re 250 pounds of chiselled, symmetrical, seamlessly tied-together muscle mass, like Gustavo happens to be. “In the challenge round, I chose my pose and I beat Dexter,” said Gustavo. “Then he chose the pose and I beat him again, proving that I’m better than him. That’s why I’m third. It’s not because of the judges — it’s because of him and me.” Jay Cutler called for an abs and thigh and Ronnie was beaten for the first, and only, time in the Challenge Round. Ronnie knew they’d be gunning for his gut. Before Günter, then Gustavo, then Dexter, could even say “abs/thigh” into the microphone, Ronnie was already hitting the pose, practically begging them to summon his so-called weakness, drawing cheers from the crowd in the process. And he somehow won them all, before Jay got him, finally. “I got the best, biggest abs/thigh in the business,” Jay said. “No one’s going to mess with my abs/thigh.” Winning that pose gave Jay a shot at finally knocking off the champ, setting up the most controversial moment of the evening. Ronnie called for the rear lat spread, which was actually seen by many pundits as a potentially disastrous tactical error. Ronnie may think it’s a “lights out” pose for him, and ultimately that proved to be true, but the fact is, that’s a pretty solid shot for Jay as well. It certainly gave him a bona fide opening, a chance to steal the show right out from under Big Ron. For those watching the action (including the larger-than-life projections on the two-story movie screens flanking the stage), some argued Jay was wider, while others pointed to Ronnie’s incredible depth. But as with all body-building shows, the final decision was in at he hands of the judges. Ronnie took it, game over — akin to a ninth-inning walk-off home run to win the World Series. When asked if it’s an honour to be the second-best bodybuilder in the world, Jay said, “Of course it is, but hey, man, before I retire I gotta win this damn contest. He nudged me on the back a little bit, but I’m not going anywhere. Right now, I’m just going to sit back, roll into next year and try to take this guy out.” Ronnie, at 40 years of age, said he’ll definitely be back to defend his title. Only two Olympia wins away from passing Lee Haney to become the winner of the most Mr. O titles in history, it’s tough not to look ahead. Is his goal still to pass the legendary Lee and ultimately win nine? Ronnie’s answer: “Right now, eight.” We’ll see how it all plays out. M&F Mr. O. DVD now available from Weider Mail Order on: 03 9583 0998

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