The uncrowned Mr. Olympia champ.
The idea of competing in any sporting endeavor means to strive for greatness. Anyone hoping to compete at the professional level is no doubt looking to be considered the best in the world. It’s the very reason sports were invented in the first place, to see who was the king. But the whole endeavor can end up being bittersweet in the end. All that hard work, training, dedication, dieting, it can end up being all for nothing if you end up losing. The truth is a competitor has to understand that losing is apart of the game no matter what sport they’re competing in.
This is a notion that can be translated to bodybuilding very easily. Many men and women can win regional competition, maybe even place high in grand events like the Arnold Classic or Olympia, but there can only be one ultimate winner to take home the grand prize. In 2001, the best bodybuilder in the world was Ronnie Coleman. He was a mountain of muscle, confident yet humble, hard working, and a truly inspirational figure in the sport. His aura on invincibility was hard to overcome and many of his rivals ended up failing in their bid to unseat the eventual eight time champion.
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Despite Coleman’s dominance however, there were those who competed against Coleman that were just as impressive, perhaps even arguably more impressive than the Olympia champ. One name that comes to mind is Kevin Levrone. By 2001 Levrone had been competing in bodybuilding competitions for over a decade. His genetics and muscle maturity took him far, yet he was unable to sit atop the pinnacle of the sport. To this day many refer to Levrone as the uncrowned Mr. Olympia champion and with good reason. Levrone was a man who was able to adapt to the ever changing landscape of bodybuilding, changing his physique through the years to suit the judging criteria. In 2001 it seemed as if he reached the height of his powers. Check out what the legend looked like with just one week out from the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWRflYHo44g
Do you think Kevin Levrone should have been crowned Mr. Olympia? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter. You can also follow Kevin Levrone on Twitter: @LevroneKevin.
