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Jay Cutler was at the epitome of the bodybuilding realm, having defeated the reigning champion and eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman in 2006. However, the 300-pound mass monster would go on to lose to seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath in 2011.
Heath started his bodybuilding journey in 2002 and secured his first win in 2003 at the Northern Colorado State Novice Light-Heavyweight. He dominated the amateur bodybuilding circuit until he won his right to compete to become an IFBB Pro in 2005.
In 2006, the seven-time Mr. Olympia won his Pro Card at the Colorado Pro Championship and even won the New York Pro Championship that year. He then started competing in the top-tier pro shows.
'The Gift' debuted at the Arnold Classics and Olympia in 2008 and performed astonishingly well, grabbing a lot of attention. He was the runner-up in the Arnold Classic and secured the bronze Sandow Trophy at the Olympia, which marked a huge moment in his career.
By this time, Cutler was dominating the Olympia floor with his remarkable physique and was the two-time Mr. Olympia, but 'The Gift' never lost his place at the top. In 2010, Cutler won his last Olympia and Heath etched his name in the history books in 2011.
'The Gift' won his first Mr. Olympia title in 2011, defeating four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler. The bodybuilder didn't stop there; he consecutively won seven titles and retired in 2020. Heath was even one of the reasons why Cutler retired from the sport.
Even after losing his throne to Shawn Rhoden, 'The Gift' never dropped out of the top three in the rankings. The seven-time Mr. Olympia also outperformed the Uncrowned Mr. Olympia, Kevin Levrone at the 2016 Mr. Olympia.
Here's a list of Jay Cutler's successors and predecessors in the Olympia championship:
- Ronnie Coleman, 1998–2005
- Jay Cutler: 2006-2007, 2009-2010
- Phil Heath, 2011-2017
- Shawn Rhode, 2018
- Brandon Curry (2019)
- Mamdouh Elssbiay, 2020-2021
- Hadi Choopan, 2022
- Derek Lunsford, 2023
As the 2024 Mr. Olympia is around the corner, who do you think will win the title this year? Let us know in the comments.
