As The Bodybuilding World Turns
Muscular Development|January 2017

Will 2017 Witness a Changing of the Guard?

Peter McGough
As The Bodybuilding World Turns

Last September 17th, Phil Heath duly won his sixth Mr. Olympia title, drawing level with Dorian Yatesí Sandow haul. Interestingly, after Yatesí final O win in 1997, the next year represented something of a seismic shift in the bodybuilding landscape. The pivotal change was Yates retiring through injury and Ronnie Coleman (who in 1997, no oneó not even Coleman himself saw as a future Mr. Olympia) ascending the Olympia throne. The 1997 runner-up, Nasser El Sonbaty, slipped to third and was never as good again.

It was Michael Francois last contest, and Charles Clairmonte called it a day after finishing 10th at the English Grand Prix, staged a week after the Olympia. The massive Jean-Pierre The Swiss Jeez Fux was seventh, and was never as high again. Once tipped to be a Mr. Olympia, the hulking Paul Dillett was fifth and from then on, started sliding down the rankings.

As that wave of competitors started to slip, others who would eventually become top contenders were coming forward. Foremost was Ronnie Coleman, who was ninth at the 1997 Olympia but then won eight consecutive big O titles. Future Olympia fixtures making moves were Jay Cutler, who made his pro debut in 1998 and Dexter Jackson, who that same year joined the paid ranks by taking the overall at the North American Championships. The freaky Markus R¸hl was rumbling onward, having earned his pro card in 1997.

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