A Complete List of Mr. Olympia Champions Since 1965

Mr. Olympia is considered the biggest pro bodybuilding show. It is organized annually by the IFBB Pro League at Joe Weider’s Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend.

The show was created by Joe Weider, also known as “The Father of Bodybuilding”, to enable the Mr. Universe winners to continue competing and earn a living from pro bodybuilding.

The Mr. Olympia contest was first organized in 1965, 19 years after the Weider brothers — Joe and Ben — started the International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness (IFBB).

Since the inception of the contest, 17 men have had the honor of being crowned Mr. Olympia. Joe Weider’s Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend started with a single contest — Mr. Olympia. However, it has become a behemoth with 11 contests and a growing number of contestants and fans attending the show yearly.

Winning the Mr. Olympia contest and lifting the coveted Sandow trophy is the dream of most aspiring Men’s Open Division pro bodybuilders. The Mr. Olympia winner is considered the best bodybuilder in the world for that year.

Although not yet mainstream, the sport of bodybuilding enjoys a cult following. The winner of the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest, Hadi Choopan, took home a whopping $400,000. However, being crowned Mr. O wasn’t always so lucrative. Larry Scott — the first-ever Mr. Olympia champ won a humble $1,000 ($8,443 — inflation-adjusted) in 1965 and 1966.

The big jump in prize money is proof that the sport of bodybuilding has grown by leaps and bounds. This article goes over the Mr. Olympia annals while pointing out the important developments and the rise of the Olympia champions.

Number of Overall Wins

Given below are the total number of wins and the years for each Mr. Olympia champ:

Lee Haney: 8 Overall — 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991
Ronnie Coleman: 8 Overall — 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005
Arnold Schwarzenegger: 7 Overall — 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 (overall & heavyweight), 1975 (overall & heavyweight), and 1980
Phil Heath: 7 Overall — 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017
Dorian Yates: 6 Overall — 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997
Jay Cutler: 4 Overall — 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010
Frank Zane: 3 Overall — 1977 (overall & lightweight), 1978 (overall & lightweight), 1979 (overall & lightweight)
Sergio Oliva: 3 Overall — 1967, 1968, and 1969
Franco Columbu: 2 Overall — 1974 (lightweight), 1975 (lightweight), 1976 (overall & lightweight), and 1981
Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay: 2 Overall — 2020 and 2021
Larry Scott: 2 Overall — 1965 and 1966
Chris Dickerson: 1 Overall — 1982
Samir Bannout: 1 Overall — 1983
Dexter Jackson: 1 Overall — 2008
Shawn Rhoden: 1 Overall — 2018
Brandon Curry: 1 Overall — 2019
Hadi Choopan: 1 Overall — 2022
Robby Robinson: 0 Overall, 2 Heavyweight — 1977 (heavyweight) and 1978 (heavyweight)
Kenny Waller: 0 Overall, 1 Heavyweight — 1976 (heavyweight)
Mike Mentzer: 0 Overall, 1 Heavyweight — 1979 (heavyweight)

All Mr. Olympia Winners Since 1965

Every Mr. Olympia champ has brought something new to the table. Here is the list of bodybuilders to have hoisted the Sandow trophy:

1965-1966: Larry Scott

1965 is when it all started. “Golden Boy” Larry Scott, a popular bodybuilder at the time, was a frontrunner to win the show. Although Scott got a solid fight from Harold Poole at the inaugural Olympia, he won the Olympia crown.

Scott repeated the feat at the 1966 showdown to become a two-time Mr. Olympia champ. The Golden Boy retired after his 1966 victory. He is the only Mr. Olympia champion to have never lost a Mr. Olympia competition.

1965: Brooklyn, NY

First: Larry Scott
Second: Harold Poole
Third: Earl Maynard

1966: Brooklyn, NY

First: Larry Scott
Second: Harold Poole
Third: Chuck Sipes

1967-1969: Sergio Oliva

With Scott retired, the Olympia title was up for grabs at the 1967 Mr. Olympia. Oliva had made an inroad into the upper echelons of pro bodybuilding by scoring a fourth-place finish at the 1966 Olympia. However, he upset Poole to win the show. Poole finished third behind Oliva and Chuck Sipes.

Oliva was a specimen in his own right. His size, symmetry, and balance were unmatched. The Cuban bodybuilder was so dominant that he earned the moniker “The Myth” Sergio Oliva.

Olympia’s popularity witnessed a dip in 1968; Oliva won unopposed as other competitors withdrew due to other commitments.

However, Weider being the genius he was, was already working on bringing better (and diverse) competition to the show. In 1968, Weider brought a young bodybuilder named Arnold Schwarzenneger to America and took him under his wing.

Schwarzenneger was Oliva’s only competition at the 1969 Olympia, and the more experienced bodybuilder successfully held off the 22-year-old Austrian to win his third Olympia title. Notably, it would be Arnie’s only loss at the Mr. Olympia.

1967: Brooklyn, NY

First: Sergio Oliva
Second: Chuck Sipes
Third: Harold Poole

1968: Brooklyn, NY

Oliva won unopposed

1969: Brooklyn, NY

First: Sergio Oliva
Second: Arnold Schwarzenegger

1970-1975: Arnold Schwarzenegger

After tasting a defeat at the hands of The Myth, the Governator returned to the 1970 Olympia all guns blazing. Schwarzenegger’s victory made him the youngest Mr. Olympia winner ever (23 years, 2 months).

Little did anyone know that 1970 would be the first of six consecutive Mr. Olympia wins for The Austrian Oak. The Austrian won the 1971 Mr. O title unopposed as Oliva, along with a few other bodybuilders, was barred from competing at the Olympia because of a dispute between federations.

1970: New York, NY

First: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Second: Sergio Oliva
Third: Reg Lewis

1971: Paris, France

Schwarzenegger won unopposed

1972: Essen, West Germany

First: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Second: Sergio Oliva
Third: Serge Nubret

Olivia, under the High-Intensity Training (HIT) system of Arthur Jones, returned to the Olympia deterred to beat Schwarzenegger and reclaim his Olympia throne. However, Schwarzenegger one-upped the three-time champ to match his record.

1973: Brooklyn, NY

First: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Second: Franco Columbu
Third: Serge Nubret

1974: New York, NY

Over 200 Pounds

First: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Second: Lou Ferrigno

Under 200 Pound Winner

First: Franco Columbu
Second: Frank Zane

Overall winner: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Olympia introduced weight classes in 1974 and followed them until 1979. An overall winner was crowned in each show, who took home the Olympia title.

The Austrian Oak became the first bodybuilder to win the heavyweight and overall Olympia titles. He created history by snagging his fifth Olympia title in 1974.

1975: Pretoria, South Africa

Over 200 Pounds

First: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Second: Serge Nubret
Third: Lou Ferrigno

Under 200 Pound Winner

First: Franco Columbu
Second: Ed Corney
Third: Albert Beckles

Overall winner: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Schwarzenegger’s 1975 Mr. O win was documented in the cult classic documentary Pumping Iron (1977).

The documentary did two things. First, it introduced Arnold to the world of acting and films. But more importantly, Arnie’s standout performance helped bodybuilding reach a bigger audience.

After winning his sixth Olympia throne and becoming the winningest Mr. Olympia of all time, Schwarzenegger retired from competitive bodybuilding, or so everyone thought.

1976: Franco Columbu

1976: Columbus, OH

Over 200 Pounds

First: Ken Waller
Second: Mike Katz

Under 200 Pound Winner

First: Franco Columbu
Second: Frank Zane
Third: Ed Corney

Overall winner: Franco Columbu

Arnold retired in 1975 to focus on his acting career, leaving the Mr. O throne vacant. Franco Columbu had been taking the runner-up finish behind his buddy Arnold for three consecutive years (1973-1975). He finally managed to capture his maiden Olympia throne in Schwarzenegger’s absence.

Franco suffered an injury while competing in the inaugural World’s Strongest Man Competition in 1977, which kept him out of competitive strength sports for the next four years. However, he returned in 1981 to win his second Mr. O title.

1976 was the first year the iconic Sandow trophy was awarded to the Mr. Olympia winner.

1977-1979: Frank Zane

Frank Zane is one of the legends of the sport of bodybuilding. He is known for his aesthetical and balanced physique. Zane had finished runner-up in the lightweight division behind Columbu in 1976.

He captured his first Olympia title by beating the much-heavier and extremely impressive Robby Robinson — the heavyweight division winner. Zane repeated the feat in 1978.

1977: Columbus, OH

Over 200 Pounds

First: Robby Robinson
Second: Ken Waller
Third: Dennis Tinerino

Under 200 Pound Winner

First: Frank Zane
Second: Ed Corney
Third: Boyer Coe

Overall winner: Frank Zane

1978: Columbus, OH

Over 200 Pounds

First: Robby Robinson
Second: Roy Callender
Third: Kalman Szkalak

Under 200 Pound Winner

First: Frank Zane
Second: Boyer Coe
Third: Danny Padilla

Overall winner: Franco Columbu

1979: Columbus, OH

Over 200 Pounds

First: Mike Mentzer
Second: Dennis Tinerino
Third: Roger Walker

Under 200 Pound Winner

First: Frank Zane
Second: Boyer Coe
Third: Robby Robinson

Overall winner: Franco Columbu

1979 was the last year Olympia hosted two different weight classes. This year was very intriguing as Robby Robinson had switched to the lightweight class to go head-to-head with Zane. However, Robinson’s plan backfired as he ended up taking the third spot in the lightweight division.

1980: Arnold Schwarzenegger

1980: Sydney, Australia

First: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Second: Chris Dickerson
Third: Frank Zane

Do you know what’s better than winning the Mr. Olympia title six times? Winning it for a record seven times.

Schwarzenegger came out of retirement after a five-year hiatus to compete at the 1980 Olympia in Australia. He beat the reigning champ Zane to win his seventh Olympia title.

1980 was one of the most controversial Mr. Olympia contests as many believed that Arnie lacked the size and conditioning to beat Chris Dickerson and Mike Mentzer.

Many athletes vowed to boycott the contest the following year, while Mentzer hung his posing trunks for good. However, Arnie pulled the curtains on his competitive bodybuilding career after this win.

1981: Franco Columbu

1981: Columbus, OH

First: Franco Columbu
Second: Chris Dickerson
Third: Tom Platz

Following his best friend’s lead, Columbu returned to the Olympia in 1981 to win his second title. However, Columbu’s second Mr. O win was even more controversial than Arnold’s seventh. Most experts believe Dickerson should have won the show.

1982: Chris Dickerson

With Schwarzenegger and Columbu out of sight, Dickerson finally won his maiden Mr. Olympia title. Dickerson was the first openly gay man and the first African-American to win the Mr. Olmpia title.

At 43, Dickerson became the oldest bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia title. However, Shawn Rhoden later claimed this record by winning the 2018 Mr. Olympia at 43 years and 5 months old.

1982: London, England

First: Chris Dickerson
Second: Frank Zane
Third: Casey Viator

1983: Samir Bannout

Bannout was the first Middle Eastern bodybuilder to win the Olympia crown. “The Lion of Lebanon” won the Sandow trophy in 1983. Interestingly, the 1983 Olympia was Bannout’s first pro show win.

1983: Munich, Germany

First: Samir Bannout
Second: Mohamed Makkawy
Third: Lee Haney

1984-1991: Lee Haney

Complete dominance. This is how you would describe Haney’s time at the Olympia helm. Haney finished third at the 1983 Olympia on his debut. However, he returned with a much better and bigger physique to annihilate his competition. Experts believe Haney kickstarted the size game in bodybuilding.

Lee Haney maintained a vice-like grip on the Olympia throne from 1984 to 1991. He won the Olympia title for eight consecutive years, beating Schwarzenegger’s record.

Haney hung up his posing suit after the 1991 Mr. O.

1984:New York, NY

First: Lee Haney
Second: Mohamed Makkawy
Third: Jusop Wilkosz

1985: Brussels, Belgium

First: Lee Haney
Second: Albert Beckles
Third: Rich Gaspari

1986: Columbus, OH

First: Lee Haney
Second: Rich Gaspari
Third: Mike Christian

1987: Gothenburg, Sweden

First: Lee Haney
Second: Rich Gaspari
Third: Lee Labrada

1988: Los Angeles, CA

First: Lee Haney
Second: Rich Gaspari
Third: Barry DeMey

1989: Rimini, Italy

First: Lee Haney
Second: Lee Labrada
Third: Vince Taylor

1990: Chicago, IL

First: Lee Haney
Second: Lee Labrada
Third: Shawn Ray

1991: Orlando, FL

First: Lee Haney
Second: Dorian Yates
Third: Vince Taylor

1992-1997: Dorian Yates

Yates made his Olympia debut in 1991 and took a second-place finish behind Haney. However, Yates returned with vengeance for his sophomore year at the Olympia. He brought size and conditioning that no one had ever seen before.

Dorian Yates is credited with starting the mass monster era in bodybuilding. His size, density, thickness, and vascularity allowed him to retain the Olympia throne for six consecutive years.

1992: Helsinki, Finland

First: Dorian Yates
Second: Kevin Levrone
Third: Lee Labrada

1993: Atlanta, GA

First: Dorian Yates
Second: Flex Wheeler
Third: Shawn Ray

1994: Atlanta, GA

First: Dorian Yates
Second: Shawn Ray
Third: Kevin Levrone

1995: Atlanta, GA

First: Dorian Yates
Second: Kevin Levrone
Third: Nasser El Sonbaty

1996: Chicago, IL

First: Dorian Yates
Second: Shawn Ray
Third: Kevin Levrone

1997: Long Beach, CA

First: Dorian Yates
Second: Nasser El Sonbaty
Third: Shawn Ray

Yates’ win at the 1997 Olympia was controversial as he was dealing with injuries and was not at his best. Many experts believe that Nasser El Sonbaty should have won that year. Yates retired after the 1997 Olympia, leaving the Sandow trophy up for grabs.

1998-2005: Ronnie Coleman

Coleman’s maiden Olympia title win in 1998 can be regarded as the biggest surprise in the sport’s history. While the previous upcoming champions had been in the top three positions before grabbing the Olympia throne, Coleman jumped from the ninth spot in 1997 to hoisting the Sandow trophy in 1998.

“The King of Bodybuilding” pushed the human form to its max during his eight-year reign. He weighed a mind-boggling 296 pounds at the 2004 Olympia prejudging, which was unheard of at that time.

Coleman became the second male bodybuilder to win eight consecutive Olympia titles.

1998: New York, NY

First: Ronnie Coleman
Second: Flex Wheeler
Third: Nasser El Sonbaty

1999: Las Vegas, NV

First: Ronnie Coleman
Second: Flex Wheeler
Third: Chris Cormier

2000: Las Vegas, NV

First: Ronnie Coleman
Second: Kevin Levrone
Third: Flex Wheeler

2001: Las Vegas, NV

First: Ronnie Coleman
Second: Jay Cutler
Third: Kevin Levrone

2002: Las Vegas, NV

First: Ronnie Coleman
Second: Kevin Levrone
Third: Chris Cormier

2003: Las Vegas, NV

First: Ronnie Coleman
Second: Jay Cutler
Third: Dexter Jackson

2004: Las Vegas, NV

First: Ronnie Coleman
Second: Jay Cutler
Third: Gustavo Badell

2005: Las Vegas, NV

First: Ronnie Coleman
Second: Jay Cutler
Third: Gustavo Badell

2006-2007: Jay Cutler

After chasing Coleman for five years and placing second behind The King for four years, Cutler finally beat the Texan bodybuilder in 2006 to win his first Mr. Olympia title.

Cutler managed to defeat Victor Martizen marginally at the 2007 Mr. Olympia to retrain his throne.

2006: Las Vegas, NV

First: Jay Cutler
Second: Ronnie Coleman
Third: Victor Martinez

2007: Las Vegas, NV

First: Jay Cutler
Second: Victor Martinez
Third: Dexter Jackson

Coleman retired from competitive bodybuilding after placing fourth at the 2007 Mr. Olympia.

2008: Dexter Jackson

Experts believe that Cutler got a little complacent after beating Coleman. 2008 proved to be one of the most heart-breaking years for Cutler at the Olympia as he lost his Olympia throne two years after winning it. Cutler’s three immediate predecessors had retained the title for an average of seven years, while he could only hold it for two.

He suffered a defeat at the hands of Dexter “The Blade” Jackson in 2008.

2008: Las Vegas, NV

First: Dexter Jackson
Second: Jay Cutler
Third: Phil Heath

Jackson took a different path to win the Mr. O title. He didn’t play the size game with Cutler but instead relied on his razor-sharp conditioning, symmetry, and balance to win his first Sandow trophy.

2009-2010: Jay Cutler

After the rude wake-up call at the 2008 Olympia, Cutler went back to the drawing board and worked on his physique. He returned with a bang at the 2009 Olympia and regained his Olympia throne. Cutler became the only bodybuilder in the sport’s history to win back the title after losing it.

Jay Cutler‘s quad stomp at the 2009 Olympia is one of the most iconic moments in the sport.

2009: Las Vegas, NV

First: Jay Cutler
Second: Branch Warren
Third: Dexter Jackson

2010: Las Vegas, NV

First: Jay Cutler
Second: Phil Heath
Third: Branch Warren

In 2010, Cutler claimed his fourth Mr. Olympia title, becoming the fifth competitor in Olympia history to win the title more than three times.

2011-2017: Phil Heath

Phil Heath, known for his symmetry, balance, conditioning, and insane genetics, defeated Cutler to win his maiden Mr. Olympia title in 2011. “The Gift” would retain the title for six more years until 2017.

Heath became the third man to win the Mr. O title seven times straight and the fourth man overall to win seven Mr. Olympia titles.

2011: Las Vegas, NV

First: Phil Heath
Second: Jay Cutler
Third: Kai Greene

2012: Las Vegas, NV

First: Phil Heath
Second: Kai Greene
Third: Shawn Rhoden

2013: Las Vegas, NV

First: Phil Heath
Second: Kai Greene
Third: Dennis Wolf

2014: Las Vegas, NV

First: Phil Heath
Second: Kai Greene
Third: Shawn Rhoden

2015: Las Vegas, NV

First: Phil Heath
Second: Dexter Jackson
Third: Shawn Rhoden

2016: Las Vegas, NV

First: Phil Heath
Second: Shawn Rhoden
Third: Dexter Jackson

2017: Las Vegas, NV

First: Phil Heath
Second: Mamdouh Elssbiay
Third: William Bonac

2018: Shawn Rhoden

Shawn Rhoden At Mr Olympia Stage — Shawn Rhoden at Mr. Olympia Stage

Shawn Rhoden jumped from the fifth spot at the 2017 Mr. Olympia to unseat Heath at the 2018 Olympia showdown. The late Jamaican bodybuilder brought a fantastic package to the stage to dethrone the reigning champ. Plus, experts believe Heath’s double hernia surgery hampered his 2018 Olympia performance.

2018: Las Vegas, NV

First: Shawn Rhoden
Second: Phil Heath
Third: Roelly Winklaar

2019: Brandon Curry

Brandon Curry Wins 2022 Arnold Classic — Brandon Curry (Image via @w_wittmannphoto on Instagram)

Due to the sexual assault charges against him, Rhoden was banned from competing at the 2019 Mr. Olympia contest and future competitions, leaving the Mr. Olympia throne up for grabs.

Brandon Curry’s size and conditioning helped him become the 15th bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia title.

2019: Las Vegas, NV

First: Brandon Curry
Second: William Bonac
Third: Hadi Choopan

2020-2021: Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay

The 2020 Olympia was a much-awaited contest as the seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath was making a comeback after a year’s break. Plus, the Olympia management, under the new owner Jake Wood, extended a special invite to Big Ramy to compete at the 2020 Olympia as he couldn’t qualify for the Superbowl of bodybuilding per the Olympia Qualification System, (OQS).

Big Ramy 2020 Mr. Olympia — Image via @w_wittmannphoto

To everyone’s surprise, Big Ramy showed up with his trademark size and perfect conditioning. The combination was enough to dethrone Curry and push Heath to third place.

Big Ramy held onto his throne at the 2021 Olympia by fending off Curry and Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan. Working with Dennis James and Chad Nicholls has helped Big Ramy dial in his physique and achieve consistency.

2020: Orlando, FL

First: Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay
Second: Brandon Curry
Third: Phil Heath

2021: Orlando, FL

First: Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay
Second: Brandon Curry
Third: Hadi Choopan

2022: Hadi Choopan

With 30 bodybuilders competing for the sport’s highest honor, the 2022 Olympia was one of the most exciting Men’s Open division contests in a long time. Hadi Choopan dethroned the reigning champ Big Ramy, who couldn’t hold his own and fell to the fifth spot.

After three years in the top five at the Mr. O, “The Persian Wolf” showed up with a bigger and more conditioned physique and received the nod from the judges for his maiden Olympia title victory.

With his win at the 2022 Olympia, Choopan became the 17th bodybuilder to hoist the elusive Sandow trophy and the first Iranian man to achieve the feat.