Rich Gaspari believes that both Brandon Curry and Phil Heath have glaring weaknesses that lost them Olympia 2020.
The Olympia 2020 was an exciting event with many twists and turns. But at the end of it all, while there were a few upsets, most agreed with the outcome laid out by the judges. There were no major controversies – just hard fought battles leading to new champions. Most see Big Ramy as the fair and clear winner of the Men’s Open Olympia. But what could others have done to turn the tide? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Rich Gaspari points out the weaknesses of Brandon Curry and Phil Heath that held them back from victory.
Big Ramy’s victory at the Olympia 2020 broke two narratives going into the show. Brandon Curry was the defending champion looking to show that his win wasn’t just a fluke. Phil Heath was also making a comeback to gain revenge and tie for the world record of most Olympia wins alongside Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney.
Neither of these happened because of Big Ramy’s victory. It’s part of what made the show so exciting and the result such a big win. But that’s not to say that Brandon Curry and Phil Heath didn’t bring fantastic packages. Overall Curry was improved over last year and Phil Heath still showcased what made him “The Gift” for so many years.
But it still wasn’t enough to take down Big Ramy. During our recent conversation with Rich Gaspari, who was a commentator of the Mr. Olympia 2020, we went into detail about the results. Specifically, Gaspari believed that both Brandon Curry and Phil Heath had specific glaring weaknesses that ultimately led them to fall behind Big Ramy.
We asked for him to give us analysis and Rich Gaspari held nothing back. He also notes that he made these same observations during the actual competition before the results were called. While it was a close race, Gaspari knew what would lead to the downfall of both Curry and Heath.
According to Rich Gaspari, Phil Heath still had trouble with his stomach area. Not only that, but he had trouble preventing himself from fading as he was put through the comparison rounds. Gaspari points out that Phil is usually used to being brought out, being the obvious winner, and then being left alone by the judges. Here he had to fight harder and was put through far more comparison rounds than he is used to.
For Brandon Curry, Rich Gaspari points out that he had made many solid improvements in his upper body. When seen from the front, Curry looked unstoppable. But when he hit a side pose, Gaspari saw weaknesses in his lower half. His hamstrings and glutes just couldn’t compare to the likes of Big Ramy.
Based on the consistent improvements and hunger of Brandon Curry, Rich Gaspari isn’t counting him out to make a comeback at a future Olympia. He’s open to the fact that Curry just might return as an Olympia champion if he could further improve. For Phil Heath, Gaspari believes that it might be time to hang up the towel.
You can watch Rich Gaspari’s full analysis of the Men’s Open Olympia 2020 results in our latest GI Exclusive interview above.
