Olympia Flash Report - Saturday Finals

Contest coverage sponsored by Pharmafreak

Rhoden Upsets Heath in Huge Olympia Upset

Phil Heath is human after all, though 24 hours earlier, no one believed it. Heath, it seemed, was unbeatable. Going in, only Egypt’s Big Ramy was considered a threat, it was believed, to knock off the seven-time defending champ in his pursuit of history. But Big Ramy rolled snake eyes and tumbled from last year’s runner-up position, leaving Jamaica’s Shawn Rhoden wide open to challenge Heath. In a city known for lost hopes on sure bets, the favorite was felled in probably one of the most unexpected finishes in the contest’s 54-year history. The Flexatron rose from 5thplace a year ago after having taken 2ndin 2016 to pull off the biggest payday of his career, 400 grand.

Roelly Winklaar from Curacao continued his upward assault in the placings, jumping to 3rdplace and a nifty $100,000. Winklaar was also named The People’s Champ in an online fan contest. The Netherlands’ William Bonac placed 4th, and Brandon Curry fell into the top 5 for the first time, coming in at number 5. 

Surprisingly, both Dexter Jackson, the 2008 Olympia champion and the winningest pro bodybuilder of all time, and Big Ramy fell out of the top 5. For Egypt’s Mamdouh Elssbiay, the finish was an incredible disappointment, and he even apologized to his fans on Instagram after he missed his conditioning the previous night.

Teixeira Repeats as Bikini Olympia Champ; Canadian Chapados Second

Brazilian-born beauty Angelica Teixeira duplicated her Bikini Olympia title win from a year ago to score a rare repeat Sept. 15 in Las Vegas. Now living in New Jersey, Teixeira continued the weekend’s run of second-place finishes for Canadians, as Lauralie Chapados placed 2nd. Janet Layug of Lakeland (FL) finished 3rd, Brazil’s Elisa Percini 4th, and Ashley Kaltwasser of Los Angeles placed 5th.

Lewis Wins His 7th 212 Olympia Title; Will Historic Run End?

James “Flex” Lewis won his 7th 212 Olympia title at the Orleans Arena, equaling the number of Olympia trophies he cited as his biggest inspiration, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lewis defeated Derek Lunsford to pick up the $40,000 first-place check. Lunsford, just 24, now looks to be the favorite heading into next year, as Lewis has indicated this would be his final 212 competition. Libya’s Kamal Elgargni took 3rd, Kuwait’s Ahmad Ashkanani fell two spots to from a year ago to 4th, and Jose Raymond, the Boston Mass, took 5thin his last-ever competition.