The 09 Olympia is done and it'll go down in history as one of "those" Olympias. We really haven't had too many years that were remarkably outstanding. One that comes to mind is 1998, but to say it was comparable to this year is like comparing the first jet airplane to the space shuttle. Maybe because there was so much anticipation leading up to this show; maybe because there was such a deep field; there were so many unknowns; so many suppositions and predictions; and the writing off of a certain competitor....
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Without even seeing a single athlete the day of the show, many of us (me included) had their top picks of how this thing was going to come out. When you think about it, the idea is really nuts. How can we decide how a guy is going to look four months before the show? I guess its fun to play "place the Olympians" among friends, however the best anyone is going to be able to do is guess. I'll admit it... Lonnie Teeper predicted Jay to win. He predicted it so long ago that Nostradamus stole the pick from him. I know, I know.... Lonnie the Swami... he got it (good guess Lonnie). I'll admit it was an educated guess, but a guess none the less. (DECIDE FOR YOURSELF...FULL PHOTO GALLERY).
The way it turned out, the "what ifs" that pertained to Jay winning have come to fruition and have established 
some very interesting historic milestones. First, and most interestingly, as Lonnie adeptly pointed out to me after the show, this is not the first time Branch Warren and Jay Cutler have faced each other in a one-two finish. It was, in fact, at the 1993 Collegiate Nationals where Jay and Branch were the last two standing. Branch won the middleweights, Jay the heavies, and Branch beat Jay for the overall. Sixteen years later they faced each other again. But this time it was on top of perhaps the toughest field since the Ronnie, Flex, Nasser, Cormier, Shawn, and Levrone Olympia of 1998. That, in and of itself, could have been enough to make this contest a standout. Then add to that the fact that no unseated Mr. Olympia in history has come back to regain his title. That is an honor as rare as Arnold being the only Mr. O to come out of retirement and win his title back. And again, the historic significance of Jay's victory is made all the sweeter because it was won in the midst of the deepest field in a decade. This was also the victory of a warrior. It took balls to do what Jay did. There is no doubt Jay is one bad-ass bodybuilder, and no one is going to forget it any time soon.
And for the rest us, the bodybuilding community at large, this was an historic year. This was the closest we have ever come to being able to witness the show in real time through a variety of media over the Internet, with the added bonus of being able to chat about it while it was going on. There were people with lap tops all over the arena tapping out up-to-the-second coverage on everything that happened at the Orleans arena in Las Vegas to websites all over the world. Those not watching live in Vegas got to see it live on Bodybuilding.com's webcast, as well as participate in the banter that was erupting all over cyber space. Bodybuilding fans from all over the world were talking about the Olympia while it was happening. Dave and I were in awe that over 100,000 of you decided to do your talking on Rx Muscle. I'm sure there were other sites that enjoyed similar action, making this year one of the most hotly debated contests in history.
This debate is centered on the placing of the top six, who had to climb over such incredible specimens as Toney Freeman, Ronny Rockel, Silvio Samuel, Markus Ruhl, Dennis Wolfe, Dennis James and other notables. These six monsters stood like gods on top of Mount Olympus: Victor Martinez, Phil Heath, Kai Green, Dexter Jackson, Branch Warren and Jay Cutler. Out of six billion people in the world these six guys have the greatest physiques. While Jay's was arguably the best for about a hundred reasons, Branch Warren's was the most vastly improved we've ever seen. This is a guy who not only improves year after year, but also fixes the stuff that's wrong with his physique! This year Branch had totally trimmed down his waist, etched deep detail all over his body, he got his color right, and he was freak'n massive and covered in veins. I predicted Dexter would win. I figured if Dexter, as the reigning Mr. O, enjoyed the security of his office, and he fully utilized his yearlong break to get ready for this show, then he would win. Well, Dexter did show up better than he did last year and he not only didn't win, he took third! That should give you some idea of how good Jay and Branch were. Third place however, marks the end of the duel for the guys who were in shape.
The other six vied for positions established by placing who was least off because none of these guys were "on". Kai Green (4th), the guy who's show this was to lose, had a film of water over him that obliterated the detail that he is renowned to possess. Phil Heath (5th) was not as sharp as last year and didn't keep enough of the muscle it looked like he had gained during his offseason. This reiterated the problem posed by his narrowness as it combined with his less than perfect condition. Behind him, Victor Martinez showed the ravages of a long cycle of cortisol. The trials in his personal life, his new business, and his knee rehab were just too much for even a guy so strong that he should have at least two Sandows on his mantle already. Even so, sixth place in this line up still puts you in some pretty amazing company.
The 202 Class was another battlefield. It was dominated by arch rivals Kevin English and David Henry, with English getting the win. English has the incredible freak-factor like Henry does, but Henry just wasn't as sharp as he's been in the past and English was shredded. His amazing tiny waist and gigantic arms make him look so big that you'd swear he weighed 240.
In 3rd place, Eduardo Corea brought the driest and hardest condition in the class. He was freaky hard with striations everywhere. If I were to pick nits, his legs could use a little more sweep, but there's really nothing wrong with him.
Neither is there anything wrong with Mark Dugdale, who took 4th. In fact there was a lot right with him. He was in near perfect condition, shredded, and polished from head to toe. It could have gone either way with him and Corea and no one would have argued.
Fifth place went to the Welshman, Flex Lewis. His upper body has vastly improved, but that improvement (up top) has not kept pace with his legs. While Flex has insane calves, he still needs to bring up his wheels. He nailed his condition and presented himself extremely professionally. With a little more work this guy is going places.
And finally, Jason Arntz rounded out the top six. His condition was right on and his structure is extremely good. His size is just not as menacing as the guys above him. All six of these top competitors were in incredible shape with more striations than the big guys. Where half of the big Olympians were off, all of the 202 guys were right on.
The entire show exceeded all the predictions and the expectations. The Orleans Arena was nearly sold out and the crowd was alive. The extended audience watching from cyber space was even more vocal and far outnumbered those in attendance. And the production of the show was Vegas all the way. History was made this weekend and so many of you witnessed it. This was the best Olympia I can remember.
