2011 Mr Olympia Report

Posted by at 15:49 20/12/11

The grandest stage of all in the bodybuilding world is undoubtedly the Mr Olympia competition, from Las Vegas. This year, on the 16th and 17th September, the Orleans Arena was host to one of the most gripping contests in recent history, Mr Olympia 2011. Whilst the Olympia weekend has a whole range of shows and competitions, all requiring exceptional physiques, there is no question that the Mr Olympia competition itself is the main highlight for most.


The 47th annual contest was an epic event and an early poll on the Predator Nutrition Facebook page, suggested that most people had it down to a two horse race. However, when it came to which horse was going to win, opinion was split with many people backing Jay Cutler and others suggesting Phil Heath’s time might finally have come. It was hard to bet against Jay, with Jay having won four of the past five competitions, but there were some rumblings that perhaps this was the year that student would overtake the teacher. As it happened, the predictions were correct. This year’s field was unbelievably competitive, although Branch Warren (out with a torn quad tendon) was sorely missed. Kai Greene climbed 4 rankings from last year to grab a well-deserved third place this time round, but there were two men left standing taller than the rest of the pack. Jay Cutler, destined to become the first man to achieve a top two finish for ten years running, and Phil Heath, Cutler’s close friend and protégé. Phil’s impeccable condition demanded recognition and all the hard work over the years was finally rewarded when he was announced the 2011 Mr Olympia, the 13th man in history to take the Olympia crown. While Jay’s fans might argue that an unfortunate injury to his left bicep hindered his chances, take nothing away from Heath. He deserved to win and had earned every cent of his $200,000 prize.
 

Mr Olympia 2011 Results

Once the judges had come to their final decision, the top 10 lined up as follows:


10. Hidetada Yamagishi

Gaspari Nutrition’s sponsored athlete produced another solid display to build on his performances from the past few years. 10th place was a fair result for Hidetada and with some improvements over the coming year, he can surely move up the field.

9. Ronny Rockel

Ronny slipped a few places, moving from 6th last year down to 9th this time round. He will be confident to build on this next time round in order to launch an assault on the top 5 next year.
 

8. Brandon Curry

BSN’s Brandon Curry looked impressive, earning himself a well-deserved 8th place. Approaching his 30th birthday, Brandon still his time on side and if he can stay motivated and keep injury-free, it will be no surprise to see Brandon approach the top 5 in the coming years.

7. Toney Freeman

Despite his age, Freeman produced another great performance proving that age is just a number. At 45, there is still no stopping Toney and he will surely be back next year for another top 10 performance.

6. Dexter Jackson

Another top effort from an experienced competitor. 42 year old Jackson is unlikely to recapture the form that led him to take the Olympia title three years ago but you can bank on him hitting the top 10 for a good few years yet.
 

5. Dennis Wolf

After a second place finish in this year’s Arnold, Dennis may have been hoping for better than a top 5 this time round. Unfortunately, Wolf’s regularly discussed lats do ultimately limit him, despite the huge support he receives from the crowd.
 

4. Victor Martinez

Victor was in fantastic shape in Vegas and his injury concerns seem to be well and truly a thing of the past. Another positive year of progress could see Martinez as a genuine top 3 contender in 2012.

3. Kai Greene

Greene will have been pleased to move up four places on 2010’s disappointing 7th place finish. If MuscleMeds athlete, Greene can continue this momentum then he will surely be pushing for a top two place in the coming years.

2. Jay Cutler

Jay was sporting a huge bruise on his left bicep at pre-judging on Friday and probably wasn’t up to the same level he was a couple of years ago. Having said that, take nothing away from Jay…he pushed Phil all the way and became the first ever competitor to reach 10 top two Olympia finishes, which is an amazing feat. After everything Jay has accomplished in the sport, you cannot write him off and it would be foolish to suggest that he won’t be in the mix again next year.

1. Phil Heath

You have got to hand it to Phil Heath for ensuring he hit the 2011 Mr Olympia competition in the shape of his life this year. At just 31, Phil could have years at the top and his conditioning really does keep improving year on year. Phil also gave an extremely humble acceptance speech, confirming him as a more than worthy champion. How long he can hold on to the top spot remains to be seen.

Author: Hassan Muzaffar

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