The seven-time Mr. Olympia champion, Phil “The Gift” Heath, will not seek an eighth Sandow trophy in 2021. Heath’s coach, Hany Rambod, confirmed the news on episode 43 of his podcast The Truth with Hany Rambod. Rambod answered listeners’ questions throughout the episode. At the 20:28 mark of the 28:16-long podcast, Rambod’s co-host read listener Jerry Smith’s question: “Is Phil Heath doing the Olympia?” Rambod did not mince words in his response:
Phil Heath — seven-time Mr. Olympia — is not doing the 2021, Mr. Olympia. Bottom line…because he doesn’t need to.
Rambod adds that Heath will be forthcoming with “more details about what other things he’s working on,” but reclaiming his Mr. Olympia title is not one of them. Rambod makes clear that Heath never pulled out of the Olympia, but rather that he never planned on doing it.
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Rambod went on to speculate about if Heath could compete at the 2021 Olympia: “Phil is very dangerous if he decides to do something. He’s a threat to any show he does.”
If/when the 41-year-old Heath decides to step on a competitive bodybuilding stage again, it will be after the 2021 Olympia concludes.
Phil Heath’s Bodybuilding Career
There is no doubt that Heath is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. His seven Mr. Olympia titles (2011-2017) tie Arnold Schwarzenegger for second-most victories by any bodybuilder ever. Schwarzenegger won six Mr. Olympias in a row (1970-1975) and then a seventh Sandow in 1980. Only two men have ever won Mr. Olympia eight times — Lee Haney (1984-1991) and Ronnie Coleman (1998-2005).
Heath’s first-place prize winnings in his Olympia career total $2,175,000. Haney, Coleman, and Heath are the only three men ever to consecutively win at least seven Mr. Olympia contests. Along with Arnold, Dorian Yates has also won six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles (1992-1997).
In 2018, Heath took second place at the Olympia to Shawn Rhoden. Neither Heath nor Rhoden* competed at the 2019 Mr. Olympia contest won by Brandon Curry. Heath returned in 2020 to rank third overall behind runner-up Curry and the 2020 Mr. Olympia, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay.
*Shawn Rhoden was banned from competing due to alledged rape charges in the state of Utah.
2021 Olympia Weekend
At the time of this article’s publication, the current roster of qualified athletes, excluding Heath, for the 2021 Mr. Olympia contest is as follows:
2021 Mr. Olympia Roster
- William Bonac, Netherlands
- Hadi Choopan, Iran
- Brandon Curry, USA — 2020 Mr. Olympia
- Nathan De Asha, UK
- Mamdouh Elssbiay, Egypt — 2021 Mr. Olympia
- Regan Grimes, Canada
- James Hollingshead, UK
- Hunter Labrada, USA
- Patrick Moore, USA
- Hassan Mostafa, Egypt
- Andrea Presti, Italy
- Justin Rodriguez, USA
- Mohamed Shaaban, Egypt
- Vladyslav Sukhoruchko, Ukraine
- Iain Valliere, Canada
- Nicholas Walker, USA
- Akim Williams, USA
- Roelly Winklaar, Curacao
The 2021 Olympia will return to Orlando, FL, on Oct. 7-10, 2021. It will feature contests for 11 bodybuilding categories, including the debut of the Wellness Division.
“Seven-time Mr. Olympia champion Phil Heath will not return to the Olympia stage in 2021”, Says Coach Hany Rambod
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