2009 Mr. Olympia Review!
Monday, October 5th, 2009
2009 Mr. Olympia Review
By: John Hansen
The 2009 IFBB Mr. Olympia was one of the most highly anticipated Mr. Olympia’s in the competition’s 45-year history. All the experts agreed that there were as many as six competitors who all had an equal chance of winning the contest. Never before was a Mr. Olympia expected to be this close.
Dexter Jackson surprised everyone last year by defeating the current champ Jay Cutler. Dexter had to be a favorite as the defending champ to retain the title but there were many who didn’t expect him to repeat his victory. Flex Magazine predicted the contest would come down to Dexter and last year’s third place finisher, Phil Heath. Phil “The Gift” Heath has some of the greatest genetics in the sport and many experts predict that he will one day wear the crown of Mr. Olympia. The question was, would this year be his year?
Of course, you couldn’t count out 2 time champ Jay Cutler. After placing second to Ronnie Coleman for five years, Jay finally won the title in 2006 and repeated his victory in 2007. However, his ’07 title win was roundly criticized by fans all over the Internet. When Cutler arrived at the pre-judging in 2008 retaining water on his physique, he was surprisingly defeated by “The Blade” Dexter Jackson. Was Cutler’s physique past its prime or could he do the impossible by coming back and winning back the title (a feat that has never been accomplished in Mr. Olympia history)?
Other top contenders for the title this year included 2009 Arnold Classic Champ Kai Greene, last year’s 4th place finisher, Dennis Wolf from Germany and the returning runner-up at the ’07 Olympia, Victor Martinez. If any of these top competitors reached their all-time best condition, the title could also go to them.
Out of the Top 15
Martin Kiellstrom – Martin Kiellstrom from Sweden was out of his league at the Mr. Olympia. Although one of the biggest men in the competition, Martin lacked both shape and definition to place anywhere near the top ten in this contest. He needs to come in much harder in order to improve his placing as a pro bodybuilder.
Michael Kefalianos – Michael Kefalianos from Greece was also out of his league in the biggest professional contest of the year. However, unlike Martin, Michael was ripped and ready for this contest. Of course, he needs much more size to compete with the best in the world but he displayed a ripped and conditioned physique that was reminiscent of the physiques of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s.
Bill Wilmore – Big Bill Wilmore was competing in his third Mr. Olympia. For a big man, Wilmore has a pretty small waist but his abs lack separation and sharpness. He has a good back and very thick pecs and his legs were very impressive in the side poses. Bill recently took 2nd place at the Europa Super Show to qualify for the Olympia.
Ahmad Haidar – Ahmad has some of the most impressive set of abs in the sport of professional bodybuilding. Ahmad qualified for the Olympia by placing fifth at the IronMan Pro Show earlier this year. Haidar was in good shape but he is a little bit older now (41) and his physique doesn’t have the same impact that it did 5-7 years ago. He is generally just not big enough for a contest like the Mr. Olympia and his back is still a major weak point in his physique.
Darrem Charles – Dazzling Darrem Charles was back in the Olympia after placing in the top three at the Europa Super Show. Darrem looked like he was much bigger than he has been in the past. He almost looked like he was in the off season. However, the added size also contributed to a lack of conditioning for Darrem and that placed him out of the top 15. This was the smoothest I have ever seen Darrem who is usually always ripped and ready when he steps onstage. Unfortunately, only the top 15 were allowed to pose at the finals so the audience was denied their chance to see one of the best posers in the game.
Joel Stubbs – Big Joel Stubbs had to be one of the biggest competitors in the Olympia line-up. Unlike another big competitor Martin Kiellstrom, who was way off, Joel was ripped and hard for this contest. His upper body is immense with a super wide shoulder structure and one of the biggest backs seen onstage since Ronnie Coleman. What holds Joel back from placing at the top is the imbalance of his legs compared to his incredible upper body. Apparently, Joel has had surgery to repair both quadriceps tendons in his legs. I don’t know if it was the surgery or just the natural shape of his quads but his legs are way out of proportion to his upper body. However, from the side poses, Joel’s legs look huge. A little loose skin on the lower abs was also noticeable but Joel is now 42 years old now so that can be expected.
Troy Alves – Popular Troy Alves was in great shape for this Olympia but he just didn’t have the size to stand with the big boys. Troy actually won his first pro show this year in Orlando and he recently took fourth place at the Atlantic City Pro Show. He was not off condition for the Mr. Olympia but his lack of size was readily apparent in comparison to the other competitors.
Dennis Wolf – One of the biggest shocks of the 2009 Mr. Olympia was the downfall of top contender Dennis Wolf from Germany. Two years ago, Dennis was challenging Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler during the posedown and winning the approval of the audience. At six feet tall and only 30 years old, Dennis has potential plus and many expected him to be in the top five tonight after placing fourth last year. Dennis has very wide shoulders and once he nails the perfect combination of fullness and conditioning, he has the potential to really do some damage to this line-up. He showed up flat last year so his trainer, Chad Nichols, had Dennis eat a lot more carbs this year to fill out his massive frame. Unfortunately, they went way overboard with the carbs and Dennis was downright fat onstage. It was rumored that he was 20 pounds heavier than last year but it was not the right 20 pounds. He needed to be much, much harder on this night to have a chance of placing in the finals. Hopefully, Dennis can put this contest behind him and come back next year to fulfill his enormous potential.
THE TOP 15
15th – Markus Ruhl – After a 3 year absence, big Markus Ruhl from Germany was back on the Olympia stage. Markus is very popular with the fans because he is a Mass Monster and the crowd loves to yell “Ruhhhhlllll” everytime he steps onstage. Markus seems to have reduced the size of his waist from when he competed earlier in his career. He has been accused of synthol use on his physique in the past and some of his bodyparts (delts, biceps) do look a little freaky. I also noticed that his chest had a weird shape to it and it was much more vascular than it was in the past. Anyway, Markus looked very impressive in finishing in the top 15 and the crowd loved seeing him again on the Olympia stage.
14th – Dennis James – Dennis James was looking forward to competing in the Mr. Olympia this year after winning two pro shows going into this contest. Dennis, like Markus, is a Mass Monster who has improved his physique by slimming down a little and creating a more aesthetic look. My opinion of his physique for this Olympia was that he was harder but also smaller. His torso looks too long in some of the mandatory poses. This could be attributed to the reduction in his overall size. He had a great Side Triceps pose but his abs were very weak and lacking deep separations.
13th – Gustavo Badell – Gustavo Badell was also looking forward to competing in this Olympia after just winning the Atlantic City Pro Show a few weeks earlier. Gustavo was in the top three at the Mr. Olympia only a few years ago so his placings have really dropped recently. He looked very hard at the pre-judging on Friday night although his abs were not as sharp as they could have been. I also noticed that his back was not as thick and as hard as it has been in the past. In order to place higher, Gustavo needs to bring his legs up even more and compete in his hardest condition to reduce the size of his waist.
11th – Melvin Anthony – Marvelous Melvin Anthony was coming into this year’s Olympia after taking fifth place last year. Melvin recently placed fourth at the Atlantic City Pro Show so he had his work cut out for him to nail his conditioning before stepping onstage at one of the most competitive Mr. Olympia’s in history. Although he was much harder than he was in Atlantic City, Melvin was still not hard enough for this level of competition. Of course, Melvin didn’t disappoint with his posing routine and he energized the crowd at night with the best performance in the show.
11th – Silvio Samuel – Silvio was another top contender who dropped out of the top ten after placing seventh last year. There was nothing wrong with Silvio’s condition, as he is one of the most consistent pro bodybuilders competing today. Silvio is always ripped, every time. I talked to Silvio the day before the contest and he said he was several pounds heavier for this Olympia. He won first place at the Pro Ironman show back in January so he had several months before the Olympia to concentrate solely on this contest. The only criticism I have of Silvio is that he seemed to be letting his stomach stick out when he was onstage. Other than that, he was ripped and ready and I could have seen him placing a little bit higher and making the top ten.
10th – Moe El Moussawi – Making the coveted top ten at the Olympia was Moe El Moussawi. Moe is originally from Lebanon and is now living in New Zealand. He has really been climbing up the ladder in the pro ranks over the last couple of years. Moe was very hard for this contest with ripped glutes and hamstrings. He has always had fantastic arms and his back seemed improved for this contest. His pecs are still a little flat and his shoulder structure is a little narrow in this company. He took second place to Silvio earlier in the year at the Pro IronMan and I would have placed him below Silvio again tonight if I had been a judge.
9th – Hidetada Yamagishi – Hidetada, the only professional bodybuilder from Japan, improved his placing from his last Olympia appearance in 2007 where he placed 13th. Hide was in excellent condition, showcasing his rock hard thickness with excellent posing. His most muscular poses from the front are his best shots with his thick pecs, hard abs and striated thighs. From the back, Hide is not as impressive although his back is rapidly improving. Hide is an exciting young bodybuilder who brings a lot of energy to the stage and he should be a top pro bodybuilder in the years to come.
8th – Toney Freeman – The X-Man, Toney Freeman, was one of the bodybuilders who was expected to make the top six this year. He placed fifth last year at the Olympia and many felt he could have been placed even higher. Toney is a very tall bodybuilder and he needs to really show up both ripped and big to fill out that massive structure of his. On Friday night, Toney looked a little flat compared to how he looked last year. As a result, he was out of the top six right off the bat because the competition was so fierce; there was no room for error. On Saturday, he looked much better with more size and fullness but by then, he was already out of the top six.
7th – Ronny Rockel – Another bodybuilder who surprised everyone with his placing was Ronny Rockel from Germany. Ronny placed 14th last year so he moved way up the ladder at this Olympia. Ronny has a very thick and symmetrical physique with great quads, delts, pecs and abs so all of his front shots look great. Rockel has a narrow structure but it is packed with thick muscle and this year, Ronny was rock hard. From the back, Ronny is a little weaker than the front. However, this year, his back was very thick and hard and his hamstrings and glutes were ripped. Congratulations to Ronny on his great placing this year and kudos to the judges for giving him his rightful placing.
6th – Victor Martinez – Victor Martinez was returning to the Olympia stage after sitting out last year because of knee surgery. Victor was a very close second place to Jay Cutler in 2007 and many people feel he is the “uncrowned Mr. Olympia” after his controversial loss that year. He returned to competition this year at the Arnold Classic but lost to an incredible Kai Greene. Victor encountered some more challenges before this year’s contest when his sister was tragically killed in July. The mental and emotional strength that Victor displayed in even competing this year at the Mr. Olympia is incredible. He really is a true warrior in the finest sense of the word.
For the Olympia this year, Victor was in excellent shape. His legs still looked slightly behind his fantastic upper body. Victor has a great structure and shape and he is one of the most symmetrical physiques competing on the professional scene today. When Victor really nails his conditioning and brings his legs up to match his great upper body, he will have as good as a chance of anyone of being Mr. Olympia. The bodybuilding world is looking forward to seeing him compete again next year.
5th – Phil Heath – One of the big favorites to win the Olympia this year was Phil Heath. After placing third in his Olympia debut, “The Gift” spent the whole year making substantial improvements to his already great physique. When he guest posed at Dexter Jackson’s show over the summer, he easily outshined both Dexter and Jay Cutler with his incredible size and shape and he looked like he was only a few weeks from being totally dialed in.
Unfortunately, at the Olympia this year, Phil was hit with a bout of food poisoning the night before the prejudging. At the Olympia Press Conference, Phil told the audience that he was 240 pounds this year after only weighing 228 pounds last year. The image of 12 more pounds of high-quality beef packed onto Phil Heath’s frame was an ominous one for his competitors.
On Friday night, Phil was ripped and hard with shredded glutes but he was not any bigger or fuller than last year. He still had one of the best rear double biceps and side triceps poses in the competition but his front lat spread looked a little more narrow than usual. This was no doubt due to his being sick the night before.
By Saturday night, Phil looked much better but he had already lost too much ground the night before to catch up. When he was announced in fifth place, the shock and disappointment he felt was registered all over his face. At 29 years young, Phil was the youngest competitor in the Olympia this year so his future still looks bright. I’m sure this fifth place experience will do nothing but motivate him even more for next year.
4th – Kai Greene - Kai Greene was competing in his first Mr. Olympia and, after his incredible showing at this year’s Arnold Classic, many of the bodybuilding experts were picking him to win. At the Arnold this year, Kai looked absolutely freaky. He is one of the most massive bodybuilders competing today and he was ripped and hard all over. On top of that, his posing routine was totally unique and innovative and many feel he is the best performer in bodybuilding today.
At the Olympia this year, Kai was just a tad softer than he was at the Arnold. I thought he looked better on Saturday than he did on Friday although it wasn’t that great of a difference. He is one of the biggest bodybuilders competing today. I didn’t realize how huge Kai is until he was compared to Phil Heath and Branch Warren at the prejudging. Kai outsized both of these impressive bodybuilders with his huge legs, massive back and big arms.
As for his highly anticipated posing routine, it was a little bit of a let down. Kai seemed to cut short his posing routine as if he didn’t know quite what to do. Bodybuilders are always judged on their last performance and, after the magnificent routine he gave at this year’s Arnold Classic, Kai fell short on his routine at the Olympia. Maybe he should have really worked on a new and totally different type of routine for his Olympia debut. It doesn’t matter now, though. Kai will be back and to place fourth in your first Olympia is not too shabby.
3rd – Dexter Jackson – Dexter “The Blade” Jackson was the returning champ after defeating Jay Cutler last year. Dexter presented a more streamlined and symmetrical Mr. Olympia and many in the bodybuilding industry thought the trend was going to turn away from the mass monsters and go more toward the aesthetic type of bodybuilder. His third place finish this year obviously proves that theory wrong.
Many of the Olympia Predictions prior to the contest did not have Dexter winning again. Although he is one of the greatest bodybuilders competing today, Dexter does not have the overwhelming size that Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler has. He does present a very beautiful physique that is always ripped and hard but that may not be enough to hold onto the Olympia crown.
Dexter was in great shape again this year at the Mr. Olympia. He has a very tight and ripped waist along with massive arms, big and separated legs and striated glutes. Some reports said that Dexter was bigger this year but he looked about the same to me. I thought he was in great shape but he looked about the same as he did last year. I didn’t see any huge difference to his physique.
Dexter’s attitude on stage may be considered cocky and arrogant by some. When he was introduced at Friday night’s prejudging, he (very) slowly walked out with his head held high and his arms swinging. When compared to Jay’s strong, purposeful attitude, Dexter may have appeared to be taking the contest too lightly.
Dexter Jackson lost the Mr. Olympia this year because he was beaten by a superior competitor. He didn’t come in out of shape and lose the title because he messed up his conditioning. He was simply beaten by someone who was both bigger and harder than him. Having said that, I would have had Dexter in second place, ahead of Branch Warren
2nd – Branch Warren – One of the biggest surprises of this year’s Mr. Olympia was the incredible condition of Branch Warren. Branch has always been a fan favorite in the bodybuilding world with his hard-core, rugged look. He has some of the most impressive legs in the sport and his granite, vascular-enhanced physique epitomizes the freaky look that the hardcore bodybuilding fans love.
Although Branch has won the Most Muscular award at the Arnold Classic several times, his last appearance at the Mr. Olympia was a distant 12th place in 2006. I saw Branch guest pose in Chicago three weeks before the Olympia and he looked super thick and hard already. I knew he would be in outstanding condition by the time the Olympia arrived but even I didn’t expect him to look this good.
Branch was competitor number one at the 2009 Mr. Olympia and, when he walked out onstage, I wrote down in my notes, “Full, vascular, freaky legs, very hard and ripped all over”. I had never seen Branch nail his conditioning like he did at this year’s Mr. Olympia. He was at his absolute peak with thickness, size, vascularity and hardness in spades.
Even with this great combination of size and hardness, I didn’t expect Branch to place ahead of Dexter, Phil and Kai simply because he wasn’t expected to. However, the judges gave him what he deserved and he even upset the current Mr. Olympia, Dexter Jackson, by placing ahead of him in the posedown on Saturday night. Congratulations to Branch Warren on reaching his lifetime best condition!
1st Place – Jay Cutler – In one of the most inspiring victories in Mr. Olympia history, Jay Cutler rewrote the record books by accomplishing something that has never been done before. He came back after losing the title and reclaimed it. All previous Mr. Olympia winners who lost the title and tried to win it back (Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane, Samir Bannout and Ronnie Coleman) all fell short of this seemingly impossible task.
Cutler didn’t just win the contest, he dominated it! From the Press Conference on Thursday to the prejudging on Friday to the final victory announcement on Saturday, Jay was the winner of the Mr. Olympia by a long shot. He prepared for this contest for a full year and he was both mentally and physically ready to win the title back.
Cutler achieved something that very few people believed was possible. He completely changed the look of his body by coming in very ripped and hard. Jay has always been chasing his previous best condition from the 2001 Mr. Olympia and tonight, he exceeded it.
Although Cutler is not known for having a small waist, Jay brought down the size of his waist this year, thus accentuating his strong points like his super-wide shoulders and his gigantic quads. Cutler was ripped and hard from every angle and he pretty much won the contest when he walked onstage. It wasn’t even close in the eyes of the judges or the audience, who had Jay picked as their favorite from the start of the prejudging.
Although Jay was harder than he has ever been (striated quads, glutes and a detailed midsection), he was also as full and thick as ever. His pecs were both full and hard and his quads were crazy looking. When he slammed his left foot down on the stage for his ab-thigh pose, his leg exploded into a mass of crevices, striations and veins. This was his definitive statement to the judges, the audience and any competitor foolish enough to think he could win the title that the Mr. Olympia crown was his again.
As equally impressive as his physical condition was his mental attitude onstage. Jay was not cocky or arrogant but he displayed an air of supreme confidence. He was the King who gave up his crown for a year and he had returned to take it back. His attitude and demeanor onstage was inspiring to see.
Now that Jay has won the Mr. Olympia title back in convincing fashion, it should be interesting to see if he continues to compete. His goal was to win three Mr. Olympia trophies to match his three Arnold Classic trophies. Now that he has accomplished his goal, will he go for another one after achieving his lifetime best condition? It seems like Cutler is at his best when he is the underdog and trying to win the title instead of being the returning champ who is defending his title. Regardless of what happens in the future, Jay Cutler has now solidified himself as one of the greatest Mr. Olympia champions in history with his inspiring win and great comeback.
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