The International Sports Hall of Fame (ISHOF) inducts new members each year, but the class of 2024 seems like one of the greatest ones yet. The official reveal took place during the 2024 Mr. Olympia weekend in Las Vegas, making it a huge event with dozens of elite athletes present. A total of six people were inducted into the ISHOF, with Phil Heath & Brian Shaw being the standout ones.
Phil Heath
Phil Heath is one of the greatest and most successful bodybuilding athletes in history. He was known for his nickname ‘The Gift’, which he was given for his incredible aesthetic physique and proportions. Heath is one of the household names, both because of his success in the sport and the amazing personality that he has shown off over the years.
Phil Heath was born on December 18, 1979, in Seattle, Washington, where he ended up pursuing basketball during his high school years. He then went on to study at the University of Denver, ultimately majoring in business administration.
Phil Heath’s academic success carried over to bodybuilding as well, as it did not take him long to start winning titles. He entered the sport in 2002 but won his IFBB Pro Card just three years later at the NPC USA Championships. He continued winning IFBB professional events over the next few years and qualified for the Mr. Olympia in 2008.
Although the expectations were not too high for a young Phil Heath making his debut at the Mr. Olympia, he still managed to finish in a very impressive third place, making his presence clear. He dropped to fifth place in 2009 before claiming a silver medal at the 2010 Olympia. The reign of Phil Heath began the very next year, as he ended up winning seven consecutive titles from 2011 to 2017.
As a 7x Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath tied the effort of Arnold Schwarzenegger and was only bested by Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney, both of whom won the Olympia eight times. All of the mentioned athletes were inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in previous years, with Phil Heath finally joining them in 2024.
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“When you go out for something that you never had before, you realize that you have to put yourself in a place that can sometimes be dark. But, to get through it, you have to seek light.
Claude Groulx (Masters Mr. Olympia) said you should really consider this (bodybuilding). I was like, ‘I’m never going to do that; why would expose myself like this?’ But, needless to say, I wanted a new challenge, and I knew that basketball needed to go to the background.
I kept taking pictures every couple of weeks, trying to assess my progress and just being a student of myself… This was the sport where I could put myself in the game, holding myself accountable and creating new standards.
I was so terrified to go onto the bodybuilding stage because, unlike any other sport, it takes a level of vulnerability of being pretty much adjudicated with no clothes on. It is easy to post in your own mirror, but in this sport, there is no mirror.
It had nothing to do with beating Jay Cutler, it had all to do with beating myself, doing the self-work, and creating an unparalleled belief that I can go ahead and achieve a moment of history.
There are a lot of people that will throw shade on your dream; they will tell you that you can’t… No matter what traumas you have, whether they be big or very small, remind yourself that you can be the light. You just have to tell yourself that you deserve it and give yourself the permission to be great,” said Phil Heath in his ISHOF ceremony speech.
Related: 7x Mr. Olympia Phil Heath’s Top 10 Exercises for Optimal Muscle Growth
Brian Shaw
Brian Shaw’s career was quite similar to Phil Heath’s in certain regards, but he achieved his success in the Strongman realm instead. Known as arguably the strongest human to ever walk the earth, Brain Shaw also paved the way for modern strongmen. He battled against all of the greatest Strongman athletes and oftentimes came out on top.
Brian Shaw was born on February 26th, 1982, in Fort Lupton, Colorado, where he also made his first sporting steps. At first, Brian was in love with basketball, utilizing his height and sporting talent to earn a full basketball scholarship at Black Hills State University. Even during those days, Brian’s brute strength was something that left many people in awe.
Once his basketball days were over, Brian Shaw decided to fully dedicate himself to strength sports. Inspired by the Strongmen he saw on TV, Brian decided to find a local competition. One thing led to another, and within a few years he managed to secure invites for the biggest competitions in the world.
Related: Brian Shaw Announces His First Arm Wrestling Match Against Eddie Hall
It did not take long for Brian Shaw to make his presence known, as he managed to secure podium finishes in both the 2009 and 2010 World’s Strongest Man competitions. This meant a lot, since he was mainly battling a man known as Zydrunas Savickas, who is a Strongman icon as well. So, seeing a young Brian shake up the leaderboards was definitely an indicator of what was yet to come.
In 2011, Brian Shaw won his first World’s Strongest Man title. He and Zydunas were tied on points going into the final event, but Brian managed to stay composed and take the title. Moreover, that same year Brian also won the Arnold Strongman Classic, becoming the first man to win both of the biggest Strongman competitions in a single calendar year. He ended up repeating this achievement in 2015.
Brian Shaw won his second WSM title in 2013, after which he also took the gold in 2015 and 2016, making him a 4x WSM champion. Only one man has managed to win five titles, and that was Mariusz Pudzianowski. In total, Brian won 27 international competitions, with the majority of them coming in the earlier parts of his career. As he got older, Brian primarily focused on the WSM, often missing out on many other elite competitions.
Brian Shaw’s induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame was definitely deserved, both for his efforts as an athlete and an ambassador of the sport. He is now the organizer of one of the biggest Strongman competitions in the world called the Strongest Man on Earth. It features one of the biggest prize purses, proving that Brian is making sure to give back to the sport.
“I had the ability to dream big and believe in myself… I wrote down my goal when I was ten years old: I wanted to play (basketball) in college… I was able to do that. Once I was done playing basketball, I needed another competitive outlet… I love lifting and I thought, ‘hey, these guys (Strongmen) on TV that I am seeing lifting these crazy things; I think I can do that.’
I climbed the ranks pretty quickly within the Strongman sport… I said, what am I trying to do with my life, with Strongman, with everything? Two words popped into my head: “Be Great”… I got back into my gym, found a piece of wood and wrote ‘Be Great” on it, set it up on the wall, and looked at that every single day. That is what I have strived for with everything.
I always wanted to get into a position like this to be in the conversation of the strongest man that has ever walked the planet,” said Brian Shaw in his ISHOF ceremony speech.
Watch Brian Shaw’s ISHOF induction video here:
Related: Hafthor Björnsson Inducted into The International Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023
International Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024
- Phil Heath — 7x Mr. Olympia
- Brian Shaw — 4x World’s Strongest Man
- Miesha Tate — former UFC and Strikeforce Women’s MMA Champion
- Jim Plunkett — 2x Super Bowl Champion
- JJ Perry — Hollywood Producer and director
- Bruce Buffer — UFC Ring Announcer
As of 2024, only around 70 individuals have been inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame, meaning that each member was carefully chosen according to their lifetime achievements. This shows just how incredible all of them are, which includes Phil Heath and Brian Shaw as well.
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