After testing positive for the coronavirus a few weeks back, Open division bodybuilder Big Ramy experienced the disappointment of not being able to compete and qualify for the 2020 Olympia, scheduled for December. October 18th was the deadline to qualify for the event and it seemed all hope was lost for the Egyptian native’s chance at having another crack at the title, at least in 2020.
But as we’ve seen before, things can change in an instant which was the case for Big Ramy after receiving a special invitation to the 2020 Olympia. And as expected, he took to Instagram to express his gratitude by thanking Jim Manion and Jake Wood for the opportunity.
I wanna thank the @ifbb_pro_league of Mr Jim Manion and his whole team and Mr @jake_wood_wos and Mr @dansolomon_official for offering me the chance to participate in the 2020 @mrolympiallc im very thankful to them,
Big Ramy acknowledged that it has been an “awful year” due to the pandemic. He spent four months in Dubai away from his family during the lockdown but didn’t stop digging deep to make the cut to Mr. Olympia 2020.
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“But thanks to God Almighty let’s forget about all this and aim for a brighter future for everyone…. I’m happy and very excited to officially accept this invitation.. OLYMPIA IM COMING!! Let’s battle it with the best bodybuilder of the planet and represent my country Egypt and all Egyptians and all my fans from everywhere.”
Big Ramy Fights Covid-19
Big Ramy was set to compete at the Europa Pro qualifier before learning he had Covid-19.
That competition would have landed him the qualifications needed to head onto the Mr. Olympia competition, and it was a devastating blow for him. At the time, he was only dealing with a cough symptom, but for the health sake of all involved, including himself, he had to give himself the cut.
Now, he’s back to digging deep Big Ramy style – and hoping to crush it at Mr. Olympia 2020. He’s just very grateful for the opportunity to be there, as are his many fans.
He has a tough competition ahead of him, with or without Covid-19. In order to come out on top, he needs to get past 7-time Mr. Olympia champ Phil Health, current Mr. Olympia titleholder Brandon Curry, and not to mention other elite contenders such as William Bonac, Hadi Choopan, Roelly Winklaar, and the legendary Dexter Jackson.