Mr. Olympia history: the Yates and Coleman years

The Mr. Olympia contest is the pinnacle of bodybuilding, and two men — Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman — held its throne for a combined fourteen years. In this second part of the story, we look at how Yates defended his six titles, how Coleman rose to the throne in 1998 and which numbers went into the record books for 1992–2005.

Dorian Yates’s final Mr. Olympia years (1994–1997)

In 1993, Yates shocked the crowd in Atlanta with a contest weight of 116 kg. Even runner-up Flex Wheeler said that Yates was overpowering and that nobody came close to his power. It looked as though Yates was planning a long reign.

1994 was a terrible, difficult year for Yates. At the beginning of March, he badly injured his left shoulder and triceps. By the end of the month, he had torn his left quadriceps muscle. Training went on through injuries and pain. Even worse, two months before the contest he also tore his left biceps.

But even these injuries did not extinguish Yates’s Olympia dream. He arrived in Atlanta right on schedule and took his third Sandow statuette. Meanwhile, talk began to spread about Yates’s “invincibility” and his injuries. Yates paid no attention to the chatter and didn’t let it get to him. In 1995, he took his fourth consecutive win. Many consider his condition that year to be his best ever.

Kevin Levrone placed second that year, and in third was a new contender for the throne — the 121.5 kg Nasser El Sonbaty. At this contest, Yates was not the only crowned Mr. Olympia on stage: after the show, all nine previous titleholders gathered on stage and thanked the contest’s creator, Joe Weider. The 1995 contest was also held in Atlanta.

In 1996, the show moved from Atlanta to Chicago. Yates was more focused than ever and won the title again — but only just. Shawn Ray and Kevin Levrone were very good, and the gap to Yates was hair-thin. Once again the question surfaced: is Yates really that unbeatable?

In 1997, the big event took place in Long Beach, for the 33rd time. The prize pool was 285,000 dollars, with 110,000 dollars going to first place. Yates defended his title for the sixth time. Nasser El Sonbaty came to this “date” in his best condition, and the whole contest was extremely close. In the end, Yates still came out the winner. There was a lot of talk that Sonbaty had actually been better and had been wronged.

What many did not know is that Yates had already been suffering badly from a torn triceps before the 1997 contest. After triceps surgery in 1998, Yates decided to withdraw from competing at Mr. Olympia and announced his retirement. Once again, the throne was vacant for a new man.

The start of Ronnie Coleman’s Mr. Olympia era (1998–2000)

By 1998, the Mr. Olympia contest had exactly the reputation Joe Weider had imagined for it — the show of shows. That year, Ronnie Coleman came “out of nowhere” and took his first title right away. Although there was a tussle with Flex Wheeler, Ronnie secured a clear win. The newcomer had an extremely powerful physique, especially his back.

After the contest, the other competitors gave the Texas “cop” a friendly handshake. Speculation began over whether Coleman’s win was a one-off or the start of a new dynasty. Since Samir Bannout’s title in 1983, there had been no one-time Mr. Olympia. Haney had won eight in a row, Yates six in a row — what would come next?

The answer did not take long. On October 23, 1999, the contest took place in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay. The “battlefield” was completely sold out. This time there were 17 “warriors” on stage, and the main duel was once again between Coleman and Wheeler. In the end, there was no doubt who the best man of the show was. Chris Cormier was third — his best condition ever at Mr. Olympia. When Coleman was announced as the winner, Wheeler turned his back to the judges and raised a finger. It was Coleman’s second consecutive title.

On October 21, 2000, Coleman took his third consecutive win. His closest rivals were Wheeler and Kevin Levrone, but Ronnie was even bigger this year, and his superiority over the others was plain to see.

Coleman’s dominance and the record chase at Mr. Olympia (2001–2005)

On October 27, 2001, Jay Cutler surfaced much as Ronnie had before him. Cutler won the first two rounds and gave Ronnie a serious scare. It was the mightiest show and duel in Mr. Olympia history. Ronnie won both rounds of the evening show, but not by a wide margin — only 6 points separated them. Many of Jay’s fans believed Cutler should have won. That year’s press conference was also one of the most emotional.

On October 19, 2002, Ronnie won again. The big showdown this time was between Coleman and Levrone, who won both evening rounds. Meanwhile, Gunter Schlierkamp made a bigger debut; he too appeared “out of the blue” and was the crowd favorite of the evening.

In 2003, there was no doubt about who would win. Ronnie was head and shoulders above the rest and looked inhuman, a powerful monster. Three months before the show, talk was going around that a more spectacular and closer contest than ever was coming — that Schlierkamp, Cormier and Cutler were capable of knocking Ronnie off the throne. It didn’t happen. That evening belonged entirely to Ronnie. The sixth title was won; Ronnie was 39 years old and in the shape of his life.

In 2004 there were small changes to the contest rules: the usual fourth posedown round was replaced by a “challenge” round. Coleman was once again dominant and powerful. Second place went to Jay Cutler and third to Gustavo Badell. Dexter Jackson led Badell through all of the first three rounds, but in the new “challenge” round the scores from the earlier rounds were wiped and Dexter lost to Badell by one point.

In 2005 the contest was held at the Orleans Hotel. Coleman won the title for the eighth time in a row, equaling Lee Haney’s record. We’ll wait and see what next year brings. Coleman is currently 41 years old. Will Ronnie set a brand-new record and become a ten-time winner?

Mr. Olympia facts and winners through the years

Mr. Olympia has been held in September 21 times, in October 17 times and in November 3 times. In the United States, east of the Mississippi River, the contest has been held 10 times in New York, 6 times in Columbus (Ohio), 3 times in Atlanta (Georgia), 2 times in Chicago (Illinois) and once in Orlando (Florida). West of the Mississippi, Mr. Olympia has been held 9 times: 2 times in Los Angeles and 7 times in Las Vegas. Outside the US, the contest has been held in France, Germany, South Africa, Australia, England, Belgium, Sweden, Italy and Finland.

The first nine Mr. Olympia contests, in 1965–1973, drew an average of 3–4 competitors: 1965 (3), 1966 (4), 1967 (4), 1968 (1), 1969 (3), 1970 (3), 1971 (1), 1972 (5), 1973 (3). In 1974–1979 the average was 9–10, and competition categories were introduced for under 200 pounds (90 kg) and over 200 pounds (over 90 kg). In 1980–83 the average field was 16 competitors. During Lee Haney’s years, 1984–91, the average was 20–21, during Dorian Yates’s years, 1992–97, it was 18, and during Ronnie Coleman’s years, 1998–2005, it was 19.

Of the ten Mr. Olympia champions, 8 have been repeat winners; Chris Dickerson and Samir Bannout won only once. Only Larry Scott won the title on his very first attempt. The youngest competitor was Harold Poole in 1965, when he was 21. The oldest competitor was Albert Beckles in 1991, when he was 53. The youngest winner was Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1970, at 23. The oldest winner was Chris Dickerson in 1982, at 43. The average age of Mr. Olympia winners is 34. The most appearances at the contest belong to Albert Beckles with 13, Shawn Ray with 13 and Samir Bannout with 11.

Mr. Olympia winners 1965–2005:
1965 — Larry Scott
1966 — Larry Scott
1967 — Sergio Oliva
1968 — Sergio Oliva
1969 — Sergio Oliva
1970 — Arnold Schwarzenegger
1971 — Arnold Schwarzenegger
1972 — Arnold Schwarzenegger
1973 — Arnold Schwarzenegger
1974 — Arnold Schwarzenegger
1975 — Arnold Schwarzenegger
1976 — Franco Columbo
1977 — Frank Zane
1978 — Frank Zane
1979 — Frank Zane
1980 — Arnold Schwarzenegger
1981 — Franco Columbo
1982 — Chris Dickerson
1983 — Samir Bannout
1984 — Lee Haney
1985 — Lee Haney
1986 — Lee Haney
1987 — Lee Haney
1988 — Lee Haney
1989 — Lee Haney
1990 — Lee Haney
1991 — Lee Haney
1992 — Dorian Yates
1993 — Dorian Yates
1994 — Dorian Yates
1995 — Dorian Yates
1996 — Dorian Yates
1997 — Dorian Yates
1998 — Ronnie Coleman
1999 — Ronnie Coleman
2000 — Ronnie Coleman
2001 — Ronnie Coleman
2002 — Ronnie Coleman
2003 — Ronnie Coleman
2004 — Ronnie Coleman
2005 — Ronnie Coleman

FAQ about Mr. Olympia

How many Mr. Olympia titles did Dorian Yates win?

Yates won six consecutive titles in 1992–1997. In 1997 he competed through a torn triceps injury, then skipped the 1998 contest and announced his retirement.

How heavy was Yates at the 1993 contest in Atlanta?

116 kg. At the time it was a shocking number, and his rivals admitted that nobody came anywhere close to his power.

Who equaled Lee Haney’s record of 8 consecutive Mr. Olympia titles?

In 2005 at the Orleans Hotel, Ronnie Coleman won his eighth consecutive title, equaling Haney’s record, which had stood since 1991.

Translated by Janar Rückenberg

Source: Turg.Fitness.ee

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