Bodybuilding.com - Latest Pro Bodybuilding News & Gossip - September 16th, 2003!

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Did you know?
Shawn Ray will not be competing in this years Mr. Olympia!

Find out the latest info on this year's Mr. Olympia, who is competing, who has the best chance and everything else about this year's Olympia...

By: Dan Solomon

September 16th, 2003! - Previous News

Olympia: Still # 1

For the past several weeks we have received dozens of emails from bodybuilding fans who are suddenly questioning the caliber of this years Olympia line-up. As previously reported, a variety of circumstances will prevent various qualified athletes from competing. The biggest blow to the field came last week when 2002 runner-up Kevin Levrone announced that he will likely pull out after suffering a triceps injury. Kevin joined a list of Olympia no-shows that includes most notably, Marcus Ruhl, Craig Titus, King Kamali and Victor Martinez. There is suddenly wide-spread concern that bodybuilding's biggest event has been diminished.

Personally, I Have Heard Enough Of This Crap!

The Olympia remains the only show that requires "qualification". There are no sponsor "favors". There are no uninformed promoters making subjective and random decisions about who to "invite" to their respective show. Every athlete who competes on the Olympia stage has earned it... period! As a result, the quality of the athlete line-up is still unsurpassed by any other event!

There are currently 16 athletes expected to compete at the Mandalay Bay next month. The list remains strong from top to bottom. If you really want to question the strength of the Olympia line-up, just look at the guys who finish near the bottom every year. These are the same guys who are near the top of every "other" show they enter. Take Darrem Charles for example. Darrem finished 16th at last years Olympia. This is the same guy who won the S.W. Pro Cup earlier in the year. Or, King Kamali who finished 17th last year. This is the same guy who was finishing near the top of every prior show he entered.

Now, for a comparison, go ahead and look at the guys who finish near the bottom of the other shows. These guys will never get near an Olympia stage! Stop complaining about this years Olympia. There are 16 solid competitors, top to bottom. Yes, it would have been nice to have Titus & Kamali in the show, but let's not forget that even Titus has yet to crack the Olympia Top 10 and Kamali has only finished as high as 10th place one time... further evidence of how difficult this show really is.

Every year the event is faced with no-shows. Last year, we watched Kevin Levrone challenge Coleman for the title while Jay Cutler sat out. This year, Kevin's spot in the line-up will be occupied by Cutler. The athlete carrousel will continue until the end of time, but make no mistake about it, the 2003 Olympia will be a war…from top to bottom!

Be sure to visit www.ProMuscleOnline.com for more exclusive Olympia coverage... including a special preview and analysis written by Craig Titus.

View: Previous News Archives

Until next time...

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