It's Olympia Time!
Sweet October is finally here. For many of us, that means weekends spent watching football, the daily drama of the baseball playoffs, and the nostalgic smell of burning leaves as we finish up our year's work in the yard. Hardcore bodybuilding fans, though, know that October's real treat is the denouement of another season of flexing and pumping, the fabled Mr. Olympia contest. This year's contest (October 28-31 in Las Vegas, NV) promises to be more exciting than ever, with changes to the structure of the proceedings that will provide fans with up-to-the-second glimpses of the scoring process. As with all bodybuilding contests, though, the real drama and awe lie with the competitors and their physiques. With that in mind, here is a brief rundown of the 2004 Mr. Olympia beef.
The Champ
Ronnie Coleman is the six-time defending champion, and he looks like a good bet to make it seven in a row this year, which would tie him with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the second most Mr. Olympia titles ever (behind Lee Haney's eight). Last year, after nearly losing the Olympia title to Jay Cutler in 2001 and Kevin Levrone in 2002, Coleman stormed back at his heaviest competitive bodyweight ever, slaying the field of contenders in the process. Unless Ronnie really slips up, the title is his again. The Contenders
In 2001, Jay Cutler left the prejudging with a lead on Coleman, and it looked like a new era in men's bodybuilding was about to begin. Curious losses to Coleman in the posing and pose-down rounds, however, left Cutler with the second-place trophy and a bitter taste in his mouth. Although Cutler finished a distant second to Coleman in 2003 and lost to Dexter Jackson at last year's Show of Strength, Jay has won an unprecedented three consecutive Arnold Classic titles. He remains a threat to take the Sandow, and anyone who aspires to be Coleman's eventual successor must first come through Cutler. Dexter Jackson is probably the most consistently conditioned athlete on the pro circuit today, showing up sliced and diced time after time. The knocks on him have been and will continue to be his relative lack of size when compared to the mass monsters around him, his "high" lats, and his lack of improvements from show to show. Still, it might be argued that it's hard to improve on perfection. Throughout his career, Chris Cormier has been viewed as an athlete with enormous talent who hasn't quite reached his full
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