No Absolute Dominance in the Last Decade of Mr. Olympia

 

Derek Lunsford fell short. He could have made major history and become the first Open bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia three times in the last decade. After claiming the title for the second time last year, something went wrong and he dropped to third place. He remains tied with Phil Heath and Mamdouh Elssbiay (Big Ramy), each with two wins, in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous decade for the Open division. Eight bodybuilders have reached the Olympia Open title in the last ten years. Three of them failed to retain the title for a third time. Five have won it only once.

Has the physical quality of the competitors declined? Has it become harder to maintain peak condition over the long term? Or has the competition become tighter than ever? Will we see another figure as dominant as Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman, or Phil Heath again?

Lee Haney did not have a personal coach during his career. It was a different era, what Haney achieved came through trial and error. Ronnie Coleman reached the top on his own, but later relied on Chad Nicholls to refine nutrition and contest preparation. It was a transitional moment in which, once at the summit, Coleman used a coach to extend and preserve his dominance in the sport. Hany Rambod became the key factor in Phil Heath’s successful career. It seems almost impossible that Heath would have achieved such a level of dominance without Rambod. The times were changing.

Derek Lunsford arrived on stage this year short of his peak condition and improved as the hours passed. Samson Dauda ultimately overtook the new champion Nick Walker at the end. The pressure brought out the diamond in Dauda. Walker, however, made such an impression on the judges from the very first moment that it was enough for him to remain in the center of the stage throughout all the top 4 comparisons and not be defeated by Dauda or Lunsford. Ronnie Coleman won his first Mr. Olympia at age 34. Under that same premise, of the current top 10 only Nick Walker, Derek Lunsford, Regan Grimes, or Behrouz Tabani could realistically aspire today to a dominant run similar to Coleman’s.

With Samson Dauda, Derek Lunsford, Andrew Jacked, and Hadi Choopan still around, it will not be easy at all for Nick Walker to retain the title. Derek Lunsford is always dangerous. He had already been in third place and made the jump to first. He can do it again. Walker made changes from last year. He now has a coach, and his training style has shifted toward high intensity the way Dorian Yates did, the changes were more than evident.

Regan Grimes was the big surprise of the Olympia. Last year he finished 14th and this year he reached seventh place. Grimes now works with Milos Sarcev and trains with Phil Heath. An enormous difference that fills me with expectations for next year. Behrouz Tabani is another of the big surprises. Many see him as the heir to Hadi Choopan. Last year he finished 11th and this year he claimed eighth place.

It is worth noting that of the last four champions, Walker, Lunsford, Dauda, and Choopan, Samson Dauda debuted in the lowest position, sixth place. Statistically that reduces the chances of Grimes and Tabani ever reaching first place. Although we should not forget that in his debut Ronnie Coleman only managed 15th place.

I would not take my eyes off Grimes. The future of the Open could lie with him. Sarcev has commented that Grimes has potential for much more. We’ll see next year. The battle to extend dominance at the Olympia seems to come down to Walker or Lunsford in the short term, but the more distant future could belong to Grimes.