The Mr Olympia – A Brief History!

ByJim Brewster

The Mr Olympia – A Brief History! What a contest, right? It is the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding and the inspiration for my Olympia Series of articles. These articles target the Men’s Open winners – the main contest. Yet there are multiple Divisions of this spectacular contest from the 212 Division to the Physique Division. And of course, there’s the Ms. Olympia with a number of Divisions in its own right (and probably the topic of a future article series). In this Special Edition of the Olympia Series, we’re looking at the Men’s Open plus the 212 and Physique Divisions. Let’s get started!

The Mr. Olympia – How It Started

Before the Mr. Olympia contest existed, bodybuilding had 3 major contests: the Mr. America, the Mr. Universe, and the Mr. World. The problem was, there was no single contest that determined which of the winners of these contests was “the best”. In addition, it was unusual for one man to win all 3 contests in the same year. 

That’s because the contests were held under different rules from each other, as well as during different times of the year and at different locations. Also, winners were not allowed to come back the next year and defend their titles. In other words, it was one and done. 

Joe and Ben Weider, seeing an opportunity to solve this dilemma, created what they saw as the Super Bowl of bodybuilding – the Mr. Olympia contest. Of course, this contest was and is bodybuilding’s Super Bowl – and it has grown from a single contest in 1965 to a mammoth weekend series of events with multiple Divisions in both Mr. and Ms. Olympias. (1)

The Mr. Olympia Winners – Open Division

In the beginning, there were no weight classes, height brackets, or multiple divisions. As noted, the inaugural 1965 Mr. Olympia featured just one open lineup. The criteria were simple: build the largest, most muscular, and most symmetrical physique possible.

During the mid-1970s, the IFBB briefly experimented by splitting the Men’s Open division into two distinct classes based on weight: an Under 200 lbs (Lightweight) category and an Over 200 lbs (Heavyweight) category. The winners of each class would battle in an overall head-to-head posedown to crown the ultimate Mr. Olympia. 

This era proved that dense, highly aesthetic athletes like Frank Zane and Franco Columbu could successfully challenge the mass of giants like Arnold Schwarzenegger (not they won against Arnold). The experiment was abolished before the 1980 contest, permanently returning the Open division to a single, undivided powerhouse lineup.

By the 1990s, the “Mass Monster” era took hold, shifting the judging criteria toward extreme muscle volume, dense vascularity, and sharp conditioning ( I personally think the level of conditioning has dropped since the 90s). That era is still going strong today. 

Below you will find every winner from 1965 through 2026. 

YearWinnerCountry / Notes
1965Larry ScottUnited States (First debut winner)
1966–1969Larry Scott United States 
1970–1975Arnold Schwarzenegger (Franco won the lightweight class in 74-76 but lost the overall)Austria
1976Franco Columbu (Ken Waller won the heavyweight class in 76 but lost the overall)Italy
1977–1979Frank Zane (Robby Robinson won the heavyweight class in 77 & 78, Mike Mentzer in 79, both lost the overall) United States
1980Arnold SchwarzeneggerAustria
1981Franco ColumbuItaly
1982Chris DickersonUnited States
1983Samir BannoutLebanon
1984–1990Lee HaneyUnited States
1991Lee HaneyUnited States (Tied record 8 titles)
1992–1997Dorian YatesUnited Kingdom (Start of Mass Era)
1998–2004Ronnie ColemanUnited States
2005Ronnie ColemanUnited States (Tied record 8 titles)
2006–2007Jay CutlerUnited States
2008Dexter JacksonUnited States
2009–2010Jay CutlerUnited States
2011–2017Phil HeathUnited States
2018Shawn RhodenUnited States
2019Brandon CurryUnited States
2020–2021Mamdouh “Big Ramy” ElssbiayEgypt
2022Hadi ChoopanIran
2023Derek LunsfordUnited States
2024Samson DaudaUnited Kingdom
2025Derek LunsfordUnited States
2026Nick WalkerUnited States (20th different winner)

The Olympia Physique Division

As the Men’s Open division pushed the boundaries of human mass higher and higher, a large portion of the bodybuilding community longed for a return to the sculpted, tapered proportions of the 1970s and 80s. 

Therefore, in 2016, the IFBB introduced the Classic Physique Division to answer this growing demand.

Classic Physique strictly penalizes distended midsections (for me, a real problem) and rightfully rewards a small waist, wide shoulders, sweeping quadriceps, and artistic posing. To prevent competitive bodybuilders from simply chasing mass, the division implements strict weight limits tied directly to a bodybuilder’s height. If a competitor fails to make weight for their specific height bracket, they are disqualified from competing.

So far, the division has been dominated by Canada’s Chris Bumstead, who captured six consecutive titles before his retirement, firmly cementing Classic Physique as one of the most popular divisions in the sport.

YearWinnerCountryNotes
2016Danny HesterUnited StatesInaugural division champion
2017Breon AnsleyUnited StatesEra of classic aesthetic battle lines
2018Breon AnsleyUnited StatesSecond consecutive title
2019Chris BumsteadCanadaBegan the most dominant era in division history
2020Chris BumsteadCanadaDefended title in Orlando
2021Chris BumsteadCanadaThree-time champion
2022Chris BumsteadCanadaFour-time champion
2023Chris BumsteadCanadaFive-time champion
2024Chris BumsteadCanadaRecord 6th consecutive title before official retirement
2025Ramon Rocha QueirozBrazilPopularly known as “Ramon Dino”
2026Niall DarwenUnited KingdomPulled off a major upset to capture the title

The Olympia 212 Division

This division was introduced in 2008 as a 202-pound weight class, and was explicitly designed to give shorter, hyper-dense bodybuilders a stage where they wouldn’t be overshadowed by the massive 260-pound Open competitors. In 2011, the weight limit was officially increased to 212 pounds.

Make no mistake, 212 competitors are merely downsized bodybuilders. Pound-for-pound, they display some of the most shocking muscle thickness, deep separation, and grainy conditioning in the entire sport. Legends like James “Flex” Lewis ruled this division for nearly a decade, setting a benchmark for the ultimate in density.

YearWinnerDivision Format
2008David Henry202 lbs (Inaugural Champion)
2009Kevin English202 lbs
2010Kevin English202 lbs
2011Kevin English202 lbs / 212 lbs transition
2012James “Flex” LewisOfficial 212 lbs limit
2013James “Flex” Lewis212 lbs
2014James “Flex” Lewis212 lbs
2015James “Flex” Lewis212 lbs
2016James “Flex” Lewis212 lbs
2017James “Flex” Lewis212 lbs
2018James “Flex” Lewis212 lbs (Retired with 7 consecutive titles)
2019Kamal Elgargni212 lbs
2020Shaun Clarida212 lbs
2021Derek Lunsford212 lbs (Later went on to win Men’s Open)
2022Shaun Clarida212 lbs
2023Keone Pearson212 lbs
2024Keone Pearson212 lbs
2025Keone Pearson212 lbs
2026Keone Pearson212 lbs (4-time consecutive champion)

Summary 

Of course, there is more to the Olympia than just these 3 contests. But, as noted, this brief look at history ties into The Olympia Series, my new article project that will initially cover workouts and nutritional habits of every Open winner. Will I expand it from there? You will have to wait and see, but in the meantime I suggest stopping by illpumpyouup.com and checking us out!

References:

  1. https://physicalculturestudy.com/2020/04/29/the-first-mr-olympia-4/
  2. Mr. Olympia: The History of Bodybuilding’s Greatest Contest, by Joe Weider
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Olympia

By Jim Brewster

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