10. Kamal Elgarni’s incredible showing in the 212 division. This 42 year old gentlemen showed us all that age is merely a number and that muscle maturity after the age of forty is something that is hard to look past!! I actually thought he’d done enough to get ahead of Derek Lunsford and jump into second place!
9. Also over 40 years of age, was the legendary Boston Mass, Jose Raymond, who in his last Mr Olympia 212 competition finished in a very respectable 5th place. His posing routine to Frank Sinatra’s “My way” gave me the chills and was so well received by the appreciative audience. And, MC, Bob Cicherillo’s verbal tribute to Jose and resulting standing ovation was a wonderful way to conclude his outstanding Bodybuilding journey of 10 years at the Mr O and 25 years of competition! And this version of Jose was even more impressive given the fact that he will undergo hip replacement surgery not long after the show!!
8. The advent of the People’s Choice Champion for the Mr O IMHO was a winner!! Roelly Winklaar is nothing short of a cartoonistic marvel of muscle with an improved waistline and ability to pose. I believe Roelly was a worthy recipient of this inaugural award, as we all love to see that freaky muscle mass. If he can continue keeping that waist line tight, whilst refining all that beef, then who knows what might happen in the future!
7. The quality and depth of the 212 Division was something to behold!! Gentlemen like Zane Watson, Stanimal, David Henry, Shaun Clarida, etc had to settle for the minor places, but at any other pro show during the year, could have easily themselves been winning or in the top 3.
6. On a more negative tone, I believe these professional athletes and their legions of loyal fans deserve to be placed from 1st to 10th and given the kudos and respect they deserve. Streamlining the show by just awarding the top 5, or worse still, the top 3, was somewhat disappointing. This leaving the crowd wondering what the hell happened to their favourite competitor!! After all is said and done, announcing the minor placings doesn’t take very long at all, say 4 or 5 minutes, maximium.
5. The Classic Men’s Bodybuilding division continues to gain popularity with a huge line up of quality athletes. This class has really helped put the sport of Bodybuilding back on the map, so to speak, where average Joe Blo is realising the more realistic proportions, muscle size and aesthetics of this division are not only more attractive, but more attainable too. I do believe, however, that a short and a tall class needs to be introduced to try and reduce the massive numbers and make the judges job a tad easier. The overall winner would also be very exciting to watch and reminiscent of the classic battles of the 1970’s when the Over 200lb winner would do battle with the Under 200lb for the overall Mr Olympia. Think back to the 1975 Mr O when Arnold would do a final comparison with Franco! The same could be said for the 212 Mr O having a showdown with the Open Mr Olympia.
4. People may criticise Big Ramy’s showing this year, but I believe this 310 pound behemoth still has what it takes to win the show. Ramy’s condition today was much improved from yesterday’s pre-judging and I thought he could have been placed a bit higher. Ramy has amazing proportions to compliment the slabs of Egyptian muscle he possesses. And, his waistline and abdominal wall are still in proportion to his upper and lower body, giving him the most extreme X-frame we have ever witnessed in the sport!!
3. ‘Old man muscle’ once again proves to be a feature of the sport these days and proof that a man can continue to improve past the fourth decade of his existence. Dexter Jackson may have dropped a few placings, but still looked pretty amazing in this stacked line up! And let’s not forget that Roelly is 41 and Shawn Rhoden himself is 43 years old too!!
2. The Welsh Dragon, James Flex Lewis’s fantastic showing this year in the 212 Division to win his historical 7th straight title, was a sight to behold! I am definitely a big fan of this remarkable champion, as both an athlete and an ambassador to the sport. I hope and pray that he returns to the Open Class with that extra 20lb of muscle we know he can carry. Mark my words, Flex will be a major threat if he chooses to step up!!!
1. I saw Shawn Rhoden win the IFBB Australian Grand Prix back in 2013 at FitX, Melbourne. His insane aesthetics, tiny joints, round muscle bellies, V-taper, 8-pack abdominal wall, ridiculous separation and crazy conditioning was awesome to see back then. Fast forward to 2018, his physique has continued to improve, as has his desire and tenacity to achieve at the top level. Shawn never gave up on his belief in himself and this I believe was a key factor in his emphatic dethroning of the 7 time champion, Phillip Heath!! This victory was not only a win for the man himself but also a victory for aesthetics and a message that abdominal distension is something that the judges will be more critical of in the future!! Good on you Master Rhoden, you are ‘making bodybuilding great again’!!!
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Bodychisel by Craig. 