Jamaican bodybuilder Shawn Rhoden caused one of the biggest upsets in the history of bodybuilding when he defeated the seven-time defending champion Phil Heath to the 2018 Mr. Olympia title in Las Vegas on Sunday.
For the first time since 2010, a bodybuilder other than Phil Heath has been crowned the Mr.Olympia title. It was Shawn Rhoden, who stunned the seven-time defending champion Phil Heath as he became the 14th bodybuilder in the history of bodybuilding to win the most coveted Mr. Olympia title.
Phil Heath (Left) And Shawn Rhoden (Right) In Action During The Pre-Judging Round.
Rhoden’s win saw seven-time champion Phil Heath losing out on his eighth consecutive title, which would have provided him with the opportunity of falling into the league of Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney as the man with the most number of Olympia title to their name. However, the 38-year-old bodybuilder tie Arnold Schwarzenegger’s record of seven Olympia titles, which still keeps him in a great company.
In addition to breaking Heath’s dominance on the top, Rhoden was awarded $400,000 as the prize money, which happens to be the largest in the 53-year history of the most coveted bodybuilding competition in the world, Mr. Olympia. Rhoden was finally able to capture the Eugen Sandow Trophy after his eighth appearance on the Mr. Olympia stage. The nearest he has got to the trophy before was in 2016 when he was placed second after Phil Heath.
End Of Phil Heath’s Era?
Speaking after winning his first Olympia title, Rhoden said that Phil Heath won’t be able to beat him again as he looks forward to staying on top of the bodybuilding world. Here’s the video clip to his interview:
From Battling Internal Bleeding To Winning The 2018 Mr. Olympia Title:
It has not been that easy for Rhoden to win his first Olympia title especially after what he was going through back in February. The Jamaica veteran announced in February that he won’t be able to compete in the 2018 edition of Arnold Classic as a result of some extreme dehydration, two ulcers, and a serious case of the flu.
Speaking back in February, Rhoden said: “Not only did I have the horrible flu going around but my hemoglobin level was at 4 (should be around 14). I lost a lot of blood due to two ulcers bleeding into my intestine over a period of time. I was given 6 blood transfusions that brought my body back to levels where my body could reproduce enough blood on its own to normal levels. Since it is so close to the Arnold, I am disappointed that I must announce that I will not be competing in this years Arnold Classic 2018.”
Well, that statement clearly reflects the pain he has undergone to win the 2018 edition of Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas. Seeing Rhoden’s top-notch conditioning and impeccable symmetry this year, there’s no reason to say that he won’t be able to defend his title next year in September. It will be worth seeing whether this was his best package or there’ll be a better version of him when he returns in 2019 edition of Mr. Olympia.
