Mr. Olympia 2015: Latest Event Schedule and Info on Past Winners
Phil Heath and bodybuilding's biggest names take the stage Saturday night in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Orleans Arena for the 2015 iteration of the Mr. Olympia contest.
It's an interesting time for the sport, to say the least. Heath looks well on his way to joining other eight-time winners in history, especially with rival Kai Greene not competing.
Such a late development opens the doors for others, making for one of the most interesting contests in years.
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Here's a look at the event schedule. Fans can catch the whole thing online at FlexOnline.com.
| Friday, Sept. 18 | - |
| 10:30 a.m. | IFBB Pro League Women's Judging: Fitness, Bikini, Figure and Women's Physique |
| 7 p.m. | Fitness & Bikini Olympia Finals and Mr. Olympia Judging |
| Saturday, Sept. 19 | - |
| 10:30 a.m. | Men's Physique Showdown – Judging & Finals, Women's Physique Showdown (posing & confirmation round), Men's & Women’s Physique Awards and 212 Showdown – Judging and Posing |
| 7 p.m. | Figure, 212 Showdown & Mr. Olympia Finals |
When it comes to past Sandow Trophy winners, though, just two look to suit up for Saturday's event.
One is Dexter Jackson, who stole the show in 2008 and broke up a dominant reign by one Jay Cutler. At 45 years old, the man called The Blade continues to chug along after a fifth-place finish last year.
Jackson made his Olympia debut in 1999 and worked his way up through the years, finishing third or fourth in the years before his shocking win in a head-to-head showdown with Cutler. It's not as if he's fallen off with age—the veteran just came in first at the 2015 Arnold Classic and the 2015 Arnold Classic Australia.
One can't help but see the connections between Jackson and Heath.
In 2008 when Jackson was shocking the world with a Cutler upset, a young gun in the sport by the name of Heath made his Olympia debut and stole third place.
Now Heath looks for a fifth title, hunting down Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman, the record holders for their eight wins apiece at the competition.
One also can't help talking about Greene when bringing up Heath. The two are the biggest rivals in the sport and also happen to be the lone competition for one another in recent years. Who could forget their squabble in the 2014 press conference or them fighting for position on stage?
Regardless, Heath now has to turn his attention to the rest of the field, which looks akin to a minefield thanks to the bevy of sleeper contestants. Not only is Jackson in the fold, Shawn Rhoden and Dennis Wolf continue to improve, Branch Warren always seems to stick around and Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay is one of the, well, biggest up-and-comers in the sport.
For Heath, it sounds like the approach is to tune out all of the noise and match what he considers his personal best year—2013.
Heath revealed the plan in an interview with Flex Online: "Version 2013. I was 240 pounds, I had muscle maturity kicking in, and I was showing all-out conditioning because I was going to beat Jay Cutler and all the rest. That’s part of the plan for this year’s O—the goal is to build on what I did in 2013."
The sport hasn't seen an athlete like Heath in a long time. A third-place debut in 2008 with no finish worse than fifth (2009) before the winning streak began in 2011 suggests this is his era.
High-profile competition or not, if Heath can go out Saturday and take care of business, he will continue to etch his name into the books as one of the best to ever do it. In a sport of streaks, Heath continues to stand tall as something fans have to appreciate.
The allure of the competition each year, of course, is lining up to see if someone can take down the streaker. With a deepening field by the year, Heath has his work cut out for him on stage Saturday in Las Vegas.
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