1984 Mr. Olympia – A New King Arrives, Part 1
If there was ever a contest that included a combination of the old guard and the new blood, it was the 1984 Mr. Olympia. This historic event included three Mr. Olympia winners in the competitors list as well as a line-up that looked like a Who’s Who of some of the greatest bodybuilders from the 1970s and 80s.
The contest immediately distinguished itself as something special when it was announced that the 20th edition of the Mr. Olympia would again be held in New York City. The Big Apple was the origin of the Mr. Olympia contest when it began in 1965. In fact, the Mr. Olympia had been held in New York eight times previously, including ten years earlier when Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Frank Zane and Franco Columbu brought the crazed bodybuilding fans to their feet at the 1974 Mr. Olympia.
The other BIG Story surrounding the 1984 Mr. Olympia contest was the possible return of The Myth, Sergio Oliva. A three time Mr. Olympia winner (1967-1969), Sergio was still one of the most popular bodybuilders in history. With his incredible muscle mass and legendary proportions, Sergio had a legion of fans who were foaming at the mouth at the thought of their idol making his way back to the Mr. Olympia stage.
Sergio had not competed in the IFBB Mr. Olympia since 1972. In that historic showdown with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Essen, Germany, Sergio had lost a very close decision in what many experts felt was his finest condition ever. Feeling that he was the victim of IFBB politics, Sergio made the decision to never compete in the Mr. Olympia again.
Instead, he opted to compete in lesser organizations such as the WBBG and the WABBA. Often, Oliva would show up at these competitions in subpar condition, displaying little of the remarkable physique that had earned him the nickname “The Myth”. Regardless of the physique he brought to the stage, Sergio would always win any contest he entered in the other organizations, possibly more in tribute to his legendary status than the physique he was currently displaying.
In recent years, however, Sergio seemed to have regained the fire in his belly to show the world what the Myth was all about. Competing in Serge Nubret’s newly formed WABBA organization in 1980 and 1981; Sergio presented a physique that was even more massive than the one that helped him garner three Mr. Olympia titles. Sporting a shaved head and incredible proportions that were unparalleled in the sport, Sergio faced some fantastic physiques onstage and came out ahead every time. Mass monsters like Bertil Fox, Kal Szkalak, Robby Robinson, Dave Johns and even the legendary Serge Nubret himself all were defeated by The Myth.
Thanks to the efforts of promoter Wayne DeMilia, Sergio was convinced to enter the Mr. Olympia contest again. He was told that Joe Weider himself held Sergio in the highest regard as one of the best Mr. Olympia champions of all time. Sergio was promised a fair judgment in the contest if he would make the decision to compete one more time.
Reportedly now in his early 40’s, many critics wondered if Sergio would have the necessary tools to compete against this new generation of bodybuilders. His fans, of course, were beyond excited at the prospect of their childhood hero beating everyone at the biggest contest of the year. Everyone agreed that if Sergio could replicate his 1972 condition, no other bodybuilder on that stage would stand a chance.
Of course, the current Mr. Olympia would have something to say about that. Samir Bannout had finally achieved his incredible potential by competing in absolute peak condition at the 1983 Mr. Olympia. From his first appearance on the international stage, Samir was famous for his incredible shape and symmetry. However, he always had trouble achieving peak condition to maximize his perfect physique. Samir would typically compete in what could be described as “water logged condition”, with too much subcutaneous fluid covering the muscles.
By 1982, Samir had remedied his conditioning issues and competed in that year’s Mr. Olympia contest shredded and ripped. Taking fourth place, Samir stunned the judges and audience with his sharp muscularity and incredible physique. Although he placed behind Mr. Olympia winner Chris Dickerson, second place Frank Zane and third place Casey Viator, it was Samir who had impressed the audience and the bodybuilding press the most with his magnificent improvement.
One year later, Samir proved that 1982 was not an accident. Displaying the same level of shredded muscularity with a few added pounds of muscle, Samir did what many thought was impossible. He won the title of Mr. Olympia 1983 in Munich, Germany. The physique that Samir presented onstage was one of perfection. Combining the best symmetry and shape in bodybuilding with round muscle bellies and a level of conditioning that was not even matched by the legendary Frank Zane, Samir won the Mr. Olympia contest with a decisive victory.
Now the reigning champ, Samir was confident that he would retain the title. His plan, as he outlined in the pages of Muscle & Fitness magazine, was to compete with more muscle and duplicate his winning muscularity and definition. The combination, he reasoned, was one that no one would be able to match.
One of the most popular bodybuilders in the world was also planning on shaking things up at the 1984 Mr. Olympia. Tom Platz, the charismatic man with the most massive legs in bodybuilding, was back after taking a full year off. Tom tore his bicep muscle eight weeks before the 1982 Mr. Olympia and had not competed since that fateful day in London.
Tom was a “working man’s bodybuilder”, one who achieved his incredible physique through some of the most brutally hard workouts imaginable. Competing since he was a teenager, Platz had developed his legendary physique gradually over the years. He became famous for some of the most outrageous leg development in the sport while still competing in the AAU Mr. America contest in the 1970’s. Earning a spot on the U.S.A. Team at the 1978 IFBB Mr. Universe, Tom won the middleweight class and became a professional.
Although it took Tom several years to work his way to the top, by 1980 he had brought up his upper body development enough to earn second place behind winner Jusup Wilkosz at the Professional Mr. Universe contest in Columbus, Ohio. One year later, he shocked the bodybuilding world with his stunning improvement at the 1981 Mr. Olympia where he placed a controversial third place behind winner Franco Columbu and runner-up Chris Dickerson.
It was his appearance at the 1981 Mr. Olympia that established Tom Platz as a bodybuilding legend. Looking like he added 15 pounds of quality muscle to his upper body alone, Tom took the world by surprise and dominated the stage that night in Columbus with his miraculous improvement. His world famous legs were even bigger than before and his upper body was bursting with thickness and mass. Platz outsized the competition and won over a legion of fans with his spectacular physique and winning smile.
After the fallout of the controversial 1981 Olympia, no one came out looking better than Tom Platz. Refusing to comment negatively on his placing, Tom acknowledged the positive contributions that both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu had made on the sport of bodybuilding. Parlaying his “uncrowned Mr. Olympia” title into dollars, Tom traveled the world as the most popular bodybuilder on the planet over the next year. With each appearance, Platz seemed to get larger and more developed. He was on his way to certain victory at the 1982 Mr. Olympia.
Perhaps it was his intense promotional schedule or his “take it to the limit” training sessions but eventually Tom’s body gave way to injury. During a set of brutally hard dumbbell flyes, his bicep tore away from the tendon as Platz was doing bouncing partial reps at the bottom of the movement. Refusing to stop his preparation to get the injury repaired (“I’ll win the Mr. Olympia if it kills me”), Tom showed up onstage at the 1982 Mr. Olympia with a damaged arm and holding a slight film of water under his skin. He took a disappointing sixth place and headed back home to have the biceps repaired.
In 1983, Tom made the trip to Munich, Germany but only as a special guest poser and not to compete in the Mr. Olympia. Melancholy about the whole experience, Tom said that it was like attending the wedding of your former girlfriend. He resolved to make things better in 1984.
Another bodybuilder who looked to have all the potential in the world was Lee Haney. At only 22 years old, Haney had stormed through the NPC American Bodybuilding Championships (later called the NPC Nationals) as well as the Heavyweight Mr. Universe contest with little opposition. Standing 5’11” and weighing over 230 pounds, Haney had the structure and muscle mass to potentially dominate the sport of bodybuilding.
In his rookie year as a professional, Lee took third place at the Pro World Cup in Atlantic City, New Jersey, beating his boyhood idol Robby Robinson in the process. Only months later, Haney had added even more muscle mass and he handily won the prestigious Night of the Champions contest in New York City. At his first Mr. Olympia contest, Lee took a solid third place behind Samir Bannout and Mohamed Makkawy.
Following the 1983 Mr. Olympia, Haney competed in the Grand Prix events the following week. Taking third place at the Swiss Grand Prix, Lee moved up to second at both the Sweden Grand Prix and the English Grand Prix. The winner of all three of the Grand Prix events was the Magical Egyptian, Mohamed Makkawy.
Makkawy, for all his physical excellence, was only 5’2” and 160 pounds. Standing next to mass monsters like Haney, Bertil Fox and Jusup Wilkosz, Mohamed looked like a lightweight messing with the heavyweights. However, Makkawy more than made up for his diminutive size with razor sharp conditioning and perfect proportions. His posing ability and stage presence closed the gap to victory over his larger opponents.
At the final Grand Prix event, Haney was nearly just as ripped as the smaller Makkawy. Both competitors had continued to improve with each contest following the Olympia. Many in the audience and press pit felt that Haney would be given the nod in England. With some much overwhelming mass and equal conditioning, how could Lee be denied first place?
Surprisingly, when the announcement came for second place, Haney again found himself in the runner up spot. Flashing his big Lee Haney grin, the massive bodybuilder wrapped his arms around the tiny Makkawy and lifted him straight up into the air. Flashbulbs exploded as all the photographers in the arena rushed to capture this genuine moment of sportsmanship and camaraderie. Haney had just scored big in the minds of the audience and the judges.
During the course of 1984, Lee Haney set his sights solely on the Mr. Olympia contest. Training with another up and coming bodybuilder, 21-year-old Rich Gaspari, Haney punished his body with one torturous workout after another in order to leave no doubt that he would be the unanimous choice for Mr. Olympia. Haney explained that he had made the mistake last year of losing too much size for the Olympia contest. He should have weighed at least 240 pounds onstage instead of the flat 230 pounds he brought to Germany. He had figured out his mistake and was ready to get things right in ’84. “This year, I will squash them like little bugs!” he declared, flashing that big Lee Haney smile.
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