As legendary Ronnie Coleman called it a career, Jay Cutler won his second consecutive Mr. Olympia title, outdueling Victor Martinez in a close and controversial decision.
By Joe Wuebben
Photos by Robert Reiff, Ian Spanier and Kevin Horton
The former champ looked, for once, far from invincible. His left lat was significantly smaller than his right, likely due to an alleged injury in 2006. His legs weren’t nearly as big or detailed as they used to be. Even his arms - another hallmark of his famously cartoonish physique - weren’t as impressive as they once were. In a four-man comparison against Jay Cutler, Victor Martinez and Dexter Jackson in Friday night’s prejudging round, he was the last one you looked at, whereas for nearly a decade he had always been the first to catch your eye. The former champ had not only lost his dominance but his swagger was noticeably absent, too.
But he was still Ronnie Coleman, the man who monopolized the Mr. Olympia stage from 1998-2005, winning eight consecutive titles to tie the legendary Lee Haney for the most wins at the O before finally losing to Jay in ‘06. And there was still gas left in his tank at age 43 for this, the last Mr. O he would ever compete in, as he had announced leading up to the show. He battled through the long prejudging rounds, still posing strong despite the very visible effects age has had on his physique. During his posing routine in the Saturday night finals, he was still pounding his fist high into the air as he’s known to do, igniting thousands of flashes from fans’ cameras and a standing ovation at the end of the performance. Ronnie was a different bodybuilder on the outside, but his heart was still intact.
MARTINEZ-CUTLER CLASH
Rumors swirled backstage before the finals Saturday night that Jay was only just ahead of Victor for first place halfway through the competition. If it wasn’t the best Victor has ever looked onstage, it was mighty close. His physique was simply incredible, with great symmetry, huge legs and no apparent weakness, not to mention he’s one of the larger competitors in the game today.
But Jay was bigger, and he looked a great deal wider than anyone standing in his vicinity in all the comparisons he was in. Fact is, Jay has a singular physique. He combines immense size with an astute sharpness about his muscles, a distinct look that’s very striking onstage. Other than perhaps his quads, it’s hard to look at just one body part and say it’s the best; even Jay’s back was a bit off from the ‘06 Olympia. One must look at his physique as a whole, not simply piece by piece, to truly appreciate it and consider him the best bodybuilder in the world. And Jay is the best. He won the show - although by only a small margin over Victor - and earned every bit of the victory, regardless of what rumblings might still be going on among the fans.
In doing so, Jay became a repeat champion, having beaten Ronnie at the O in 2006. (Ironically, Jay has won both titles since the competition was moved up to September after many years of being held in October. The last time the Olympia was held in September was in 1997, the year before Ronnie won his first title.) In a sport defined by individual dynasties - Arnold Schwarzenegger won the Mr. O six years in a row in the 1970’s, Lee’s run spanned most of the ’80s, Dorian Yates won six consecutive titles in the ’90s, and then, of course, came Ronnie’s reign - Jay established one of his own, even if it lasts only through 2009, as he confirmed after the competition that it likely would.
"Winning the first one was a big obstacle for me, but to really have it set in stone I needed to win No. 2," Jay said the Sunday after the competition. "You hear all these things like, if you can’t win the Olympia more than once it’s not for real. Defeating Ronnie Coleman, who will go down as one of the best bodybuilders ever, and beating him twice - well, I did that and won No. 2 at the same time. So I kind of stamped my place in history as a repeat Mr. Olympia, and I showed that my consistency’s there, and now it’s on to the next one."
"I know in my heart that if I win my third, there’s nothing else I want to accomplish in the sport. I haven’t thought past that. Sometimes you set goals and reach them and you have to set new goals. I have no goals after a third [Olympia] victory, which is now only one step away. I truly believe that retiring is something I’m going to consider then. I just wonder if my competitive side is still going to be there. I’ve been on top for seven or eight years, and you can ride the wave for only so long before you get knocked off."
WHO’S NEXT
It’s hard not to look ahead, not just to next year but at who might be next in line when Jay retires. It appears as though Victor could be thee early favorite for 2009, even though a lot can happen between now and then, not to mention he could have a legitimate shot at overtaking Jay in ‘08. Victor clearly distinguished himself at this year’s Olympia as the second-best bodybuilder in the world, especially when you consider that he also won the Arnold Classic in March.
Dexter, a perennial top contender, finished in third place, finally beating Ronnie, but it’s difficult to project him ever breaking through and winning a Mr. O title, despite his being one of the most impressive and consistent bodybuilders of his generation. Winning the sport’s top prize is about having mass, and lots of it. Dexter has just never had quite enough.
But besides Victor, another potential superstar emerged from this Olympia weekend: Dennis Wolf, the 28-year-old German. At 5′11" and 268 pounds, Dennis easily landed in the top six with a fifth-place finish that the audience at Orleans Arena felt was too low (they booed when the placing was announced). To the casual bodybuilding fan, Dennis’ great symmetry, clean lines and small waist, all wrapped up in a rather large body, seemingly came out of nowhere. He didn’t even make the top 15 in his Olympia debut in 2006, although he did get his first pro win earlier in 2007 at the Keystone Classic in Pennsylvania.
Recall the 2002 Mr. O when another huge German, Gunter Schlierkamp, also came out of nowhere to finish fifth - and three weeks later shocked the bodybuilding world by knocking off Ronnie at the GNC Show of Strength. Dennis’ breakout Olympia performance was eerily similar. While Gunter’s highest placing at the O ended up being fourth in 2005, Dennis has fewer flaws and could legitimately be in the running for the Olympia title in the next few years.
CONSOLATION PRIZE
Rarely, if ever, will you see an athlete as successful and decorated as Ronnie Coleman so pleased with a fourth-place finish. In the final posedown of the top six, near the end of the show, the other five competitors no longer followed Ronnie around the stage the way they used to. He was the follower this time, and - here’s the beauty of it - joyfully so. From the look on his face, one got the feeling that Ronnie knew he wasn’t going to win, that he wasn’t even close to winning. Yet he was genuinely enjoying himself. He was along for the ride and loving it.
When the final six placings were announced and Ronnie took fourth, was he unhappy? Was he bitter with the judges? Not at all. He was smiling, bowing to the fans as they chanted his name. And it wasn’t just an act. The man who had slipped from first in ‘05 to second in ‘06 and now to fourth in ‘07 - a monumental drop in this sport - was genuinely content.
"This is the best contest of my life," he said from the stage moments after he was announced in fourth place. "Regardless of my placing, I’m one of the happiest men in the world … all I can say is, it doesn’t get any better than this. Thank you, each and every fan out there, for supporting bodybuilding and supporting me. I love y’all. Y’all have made me have the best life that a guy could ever have, and I could’ve never done it without y’all. Please come out next year. Even though I’m not gonna be onstage, I’m still gonna be here … thank you all for coming out. God bless you."
CHAMPIONSHIP LEGACY
Ronnie’s reign as Mr. Olympia didn’t end as a result of retiring when he was on top, as Dorian, Lee and Arnold did. He competed until he finally lost, then he competed again to get his crown back and lost even worse. Some will say losing in this manner tarnished his legacy. That’s one viewpoint, but it also created a new legacy for Ronnie, that of a fighter till the end, of someone who lost and wasn’t afraid to come back and lose again. And from the 2007 Olympia, Ronnie will be remembered as a man who was gracious in defeat, the antithesis of a sore loser. If that’s not worth something, what is?
Joe Weider’s 43rd Mr. Olympia contest was defined by two distinct legacies: Ronnie’s and Jay’s.
"Ronnie is going to go down as one of the freakiest Mr. Olympias, just a workhorse in the gym with Superman strength," Jay said. "Whenever people think Ronnie Coleman, they not only think he’s big but how strong he is. I’m a little different. I’m focused more on the business side of bodybuilding than Ronnie was. I think he just enjoyed training and being Mr. Olympia, whereas it’s not that I don’t enjoy the training as much, but I just do what I need to do to win. I don’t enjoy coming to the gym and beating the hell out of myself on a day-to-day basis. I don’t enjoy being 300 pounds."
"Ronnie Coleman truly wants to be 300 pounds - he enjoys it," Jay added. "I’ll go down as the business guy and Ronnie will go down as the freaky genetics guy who just wanted to eat, sleep and train.
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