Does Phil Heath Have a New Threat?

In every sporting endeavor athletes have their time to shine, their day in the sun. Nothing lasts forever when it comes to competing at the highest levels of any sport and bodybuilding is no different. Dorian Yates was a dominant champion in his day, but when his body reached the point of no return, racking up more injuries than he could handle, he had to walk away from the sport. The same could be said for the great Ronnie Coleman. He destroyed the competition for eight straight years before being toppled by Jay Cutler.

It’s an actuality that all sporting figures have to face at some point in their careers. Whenever it does happen it’s no doubt deflating for the fans and for the competitors themselves. With the 2015 Mr. Olympia competition around the corner the question always remains: how long will Phil Heath remain on top? It’s a great question, especially when you consider last years showing. Though Heath was impressive, never before had Kai Greene appear so close to ousting the champ. But if a recent informal poll from Reddit Bodybuilding is any indication, Phil Heath fans may have another contender to worry about other than Kai Greene.

As you can see at the time of this posting – many people are picking Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay as the second most likely contender to take first at the Olympia event. The poll is informal and it’s in no way an indicator on who will actually take top honors this years. Hell, it doesn’t even have Dennis Wolf considered within the top five. But it does raise some questions. One thing does seems to be clear: with his 2015 campaign well underway, Big Ramy has garnered some new fans, fans who believe that he may have already surpassed Kai Greene. That’s a pretty bold statement indeed.

All this should be taken with a grain of salt of course, but it does bring up the interesting question as to how far away Big Ramy is from challenging for the top spot. He may not beat Phil or Kai this year, but there seems to be a consensus that the Egyptian is looking impressive enough to possible challenge both men in the future. For now, Big Ramy may have to be

How long can Phil hold on to the top spot? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.