Bodybuilding.com - John Hansen's 2002 Olympia Report.

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Did you know?
This is Ronnie Coleman's fifth straight Olympia win! With bodybuilders like Gunter vying for the title, Coleman will no longer be able to push aside the competition anymore.

Natural Olympia John Hansen gives you his opinion on each competitor, their condition and whether or not they deserved their placings. Do you agree? With pictures from backstage!

By: John Hansen

Here's How It REALLY Went Down...

The defining moment of the 2002 Mr. Olympia contest, held for the fourth year in a row at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, came during the exciting final posedown. Ronnie Coleman, the returning four-time champ, has developed a reputation as the King of the Posedown in recent years. In his latest victory, Coleman intended to continue with that tradition.

During the last three years of his reign, Coleman has literally pushed away any challengers to his crown during the final posedown. In 1999, Shawn Ray was the unlucky victim as Ronnie shoved the 210 pound challenger away when Shawn attempted to wedge himself between Coleman and Flex Wheeler. In 2000, Nasser El Sonbaty was easily pushed to the side when he tried to move in on Coleman's territory. And, in last year's come from behind victory, an aggressive Ronnie Coleman nearly toppled both Orville Burke and Chris Cormier when Orville tried to position his huge frame next to the reigning champ and Cormier.

This year, crowd favorite and human Man Mountain, Gunter Schlierkamp, pursued the current Mr. Olympia by moving right next to him at the beginning of the posedown. As Coleman attempted to push the German Giant out of the way with his massive 23 inch arms, he was met with the proverbial brick wall. Gunter didn't even budge!

Could this be symbolic of the future for Ronnie Coleman's reign as Mr. Olympia? With bodybuilders like Gunter vying for the title, Coleman will no longer be able to push aside the competition anymore.

Earlier in the evening, Gunter had captured the hearts and minds of the Mr. Olympia audience and now he seemed on the verge of capturing the title itself as the champ himself appeared very vulnerable against a much bigger and harder competitor. Gunter had never looked better and he seemed to have unlocked the secret to finally realizing his incredible potential. Rarely has a competitor received so much love from an audience as Gunter did the evening of October 19th, 2002. He even received an unprecedented standing ovation from an incredibly appreciative audience after being awarded his placing.

Here are the final placings as well as my thoughts on each athlete in the 2002 Mr. Olympia contest:

CLICK THE PICTURES BELOW FOR FULL GALLERIES

1st Place - Ronnie Coleman
Ronnie won his fifth Mr. Olympia this year and was received with a thunderous round of boos from the audience as he was awarded the title. This was the worst condition that Ronnie has looked in winning the Mr. O since 1998. This was a real surprise to me because I know Coleman was very upset by the close call from Jay Cutler last year and he had trained incredibly hard in preparation for this contest. He had even postponed all guest posings for the last 13 weeks leading up the Olympia to insure that he would be at his all-time best.

So, what went wrong? According to Matt Nill of MuscleTime.com, Ronnie was in his all-time best shape three weeks out from the show when Mitsuru Okabe filmed him for his "Battle for the Olympia" video. Matt believes that Coleman lost as much as 20 pounds in the final three weeks and, judging by the footage that Mitsuru filmed, it was 20 pounds that he didn't need to lose.

Onstage, Ronnie was noticably flat compared to his previous four wins. My guess is that after all the criticism last year regarding his bloated stomach, Coleman went all out to get as lean as possible. However, despite the significant weight loss (15 pounds lighter than last year), his gut was still somewhat bloated. He looked to be much flatter all over, especially in the pecs. His arms and back were still impressive and his thighs were gargantuan (although still lacking in separation) but this was not the Ronnie Coleman that we were expecting.

2nd Place - Kevin Levrone
Kevin looked fantastic in his 11th consecutive Mr. Olympia contest. Fully healed from his hernia operation earlier in the year, Kevin showed up almost 20 pounds heavier than last year and it showed. Impressively thick and muscular, Kevin was at his best in years. I thought he looked better this year than the fantastic condition he displayed in 2000 when he placed a close second to Ronnie.

Kevin showed everyone that he is one of the best professional bodybuilders in the world today by performing another beautiful posing routine at the evening finals. Kevin is one of the best performers in the sport and he had the audience eating out of his hand as he posed magnificently to music from the rock band Creed. I was not surprised to learn later that Kevin won the posing round and the posedown.

Ronnie had Kevin beat in the back, especially in the relaxed round, but I thought Kevin was more impressive from the front with better abs and a much fuller look than Ronnie displayed. I think Kevin and Ronnie were nearly the same weight but Ronnie looked flat while Kevin looked full. Kevin also brought up his legs from the last couple of years and you can tell he put in some hard and heavy training in preparation for this event. It could have went either way for first or second with Ronnie and Kevin and, judging by the final audience reaction, the fans at the Mandalay Bay Theater were going for Kevin.

3rd Place - Chris Cormier
Chris was expected to be one of the front runners coming into the contest. He looked better than last year but still not as tight as he was earlier in the year when he won the Pro Ironman show or took second to Jay Cutler at the Arnold Classic. If he would have shown up in that condition, he may have provided an upset since Ronnie was off.

Chris has a lot of muscle for his frame but he still displays outstanding symmetry and shape which is why he placed so high in the relaxed round of this competition (2nd to Ronnie Coleman). However, Chris seemed somewhat subdued during the course of the event and lacked the fire that Levrone exhibited. He certainly didn't look ready to take on the champ and potentially knock him out.

I personally would have placed Chris below Dexter Jackson and Gunter Schlierkamp. I think his advance publicity and his winnings earlier in the year helped him in the initial call-outs which automatically guaranteed his top three placing. If he would have shown up in his customary rock-hard condition and winning attitude, he could have really challenged Ronnie for the Sandow trophy this year.

4th Place - Dexter Jackson
Dexter was in great condition on his fourth attempt at the Mr. Olympia title. Blessed with small joints and full muscle bellies, Dexter has gradually added size to his physique and was awarded with his progress by placing in the coveted top five at the biggest show in bodybuilding.

Dexter always shows up in top condition and ripped to the bone everytime he steps onstage. That conditioning combined with his outstanding shape always presents a threat to his competition. Often compared to Flex Wheeler because of his aesthetic shape and symmetry, Dexter was actually able to outshine the legendary Mr. Wheeler on this day due to Flex's new smaller look.

Dexter was also much more confident onstage at the Olympia this year. He has paid his dues and, after placing in the top three at this year's Arnold Classic, he knew that this was his best chance to make the top five at the Big O. Congratulations to Dexter and I look forward to seeing him capture some first place victories soon on the pro circuit. (Note: Dexter did win his first professional competition shortly after the Mr. Olympia by placing first at the British Grand Prix on October 26th).

5th Place - Gunter Schlierkamp
Gunter was the big surprise of the Mr. Olympia competition this year. When I say big, I mean BIG! Gunter stepped onstage at a ripped 300 pounds exuding confidence and completely won over the crowd at the Mandalay Bay. He received an outstanding reception from the appreciative audience who recognized a winner when they saw one. By the end of the night, the fans were hungry to see a new champion crowned as Mr. Olympia and Gunter filled that role bigger and better than anyone else onstage. If there was a bodybuilder that exemplified the Mr. Olympia title that night during the posedown, it was definitely Gunter Schlierkamp!

Gunter trained this year with Charles Glass and received nutritional advice from guru Chad Nichols. The help he got from these two gentlemen made all the difference in the world as he was finally able to present his physique in all it's glorious realized potential. Always a big man, Gunter added ten quality pounds to his frame in the just the right places. It looked like he added size to his delts, pecs and back which shifted attention away from his wide waist and made him look much more streamlined at a heavier bodyweight.

I think Gunter actually reached his peak during the finals on Saturday night. According to the score sheet, he seemed to be grossly overlooked during the first round but significantly improved his placings during the mandatory comparisons. I think the judges were not expecting this German Giant to be in such outstanding condition and instead directed their attention to bodybuilders such as Coleman, Levrone, Cormier and Wheeler for comparisons during the relaxed round of judging.

Several hours later, however, Gunter had reached the physical peak of his lifetime and stepped onstage for his posing routine full, hard, vascular and ripped. He got both fuller and harder for the evening finals and completely stole the show away from the bodybuilders who got so much attention earlier in the day. The same thing actually happened to reigning champ Ronnie Coleman the first year he won the Olympia. Ronnie was not expected to finish in the top three that year but, by the time the evening show came around, Ronnie was so full and hard that he looked like he was going to burst. He caught the crowd's attention and everyone was chanting his name as the contest neared it's end. The same thing happened to Gunter in 2002.

There were two winners at this year's Mr. Olympia contest. Ronnie Coleman took home his fifth Sandow trophy but Gunter Schlierkamp was the true champion and the audience verified this with an incredible standing ovation and raucous applause. Gunter made the other five bodybuilders in the posedown look like little boys as he towered over everyone in the line-up. The highlight was when he posed down right next to Ronnie Coleman and outshined the champ by looking both bigger and harder. What a memorable night for a fantastic bodybuilder!!

6th Place - Lee Priest
Lee again reached peak condition for the Mr. Olympia contest. He has some of the thickest arms and legs in the sport and was ripped and ready to make the top six tonight. Lee's only weakness is that his torso does not match up to those incredible limbs. His back looked great while posing it but it lacks width and thickness when he is standing relaxed. Someone with Lee's structure will always have a problem beating men with bigger structures like Ronnie or Levrone but he did manage to beat Chris Cormier earlier in the year at the San Francisco Grand Prix. He deserves credit for building one of the best physiques in the sport at a height of only 5'4". Lee is also one of the best posers in the sport, always giving a well-choreographed routine filled with artistic poses.

7th Place - Flex Wheeler
I thought Flex would be challenging for one of the top three spots at this year's Mr. Olympia contest since he made the decision to compete at a lighter bodyweight. When Flex made his pro debut in 1993, he was recognized as one of the best professional bodybuilders in the history of the sport due to his incredible shape combined with impressive thickness and mass. After trying to beat Ronnie from 1998-2000 by competing in the 240 pound range, Flex decided to go back to a lighter bodyweight to regain his winning ways.

The rumor is that Flex competed at this year's Olympia without using any anabolic steroids or other drugs. I don't know if I quite believe that statement but Flex was much, much lighter than I have ever seen him. He didn't look like he weighed more than 215 pounds onstage. Although his arms and delts were still very large (possibly due to his past admitted use of synthol in those bodyparts?) and his legs had incredible shape and separation, his lats and pecs were very small compared to the previous version of Flex Wheeler. His lat spread poses were very underwhelming due to his lack of size in his torso.

Flex was placed high in the symmetry round of the pre-judging but his scores dropped during the muscularity round. He gave an entertaining posing routine and his overall general attitude seemed to be that he was just happy to be onstage again. The pressure and bad attitude that he displayed in the past was now replaced with a more calm demeanor and he happily congratulated the six bodybuilders who placed ahead of him when he was announced seventh place. I personally thought Flex was very lucky to place in the top ten due to his greatly reduced muscle mass.

8th Place - Markus Ruhl
Big Markus Ruhl from Germany regained a top ten placing in this year's Olympia after placing a very disappointing 14th place last year. Markus is one of the largest bodybuilders alive although he is not the most pleasing physique to look at. He has slabs and slabs of beef piled onto his frame and the judges have previously marked him down for his lack of shape and symmetry. Tonight, he was not as ripped and hard as he was for his Night of the Champions win in May but the judges awarded him with eighth place for possessing such gargantuan mass and size. I would have liked to have seen Markus compete as hard as he was for the NOC. I felt he was a little too soft for this show and his belly was protruding more than it should have been. He definitely has some impressive mass and is always a crowd favorite. He even added a little butt shaking to his posing routine although he did not dare to attempt a full split position as Ronnie Coleman did in his performance.

9th Place - Orville Burke
After last year's very successful year, including a surprising sixth place finish in the 2001 Mr. Olympia, Orville Burke laid low this year and saved it all for the Big O. Orville added some serious mass to his physique and was one of the largest competitors onstage. I thought the additional size looked great on Orville and he deserved to be in the top 10. However, the extreme definition that Orville displayed last year (striated glutes, reduced waistline, etc) were missing this year and the judges took him to task for it. His back looked incredible and his lat spread poses (both front and back) are a sight to see due to his extremely developed high lats. If Orville comes back next year with more definition and manages to hold onto his newly acquired size, he should definitely make a big impact.

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