2008 Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas, September 26

October 2008

by Marijan Lipsinic

www.MarijanLipsinic.com

Mr. Olympia:
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1. Dexter Jackson
2. Jay Cutler
3. Phil Heath
4. Dennis Wolf
5. Toney Freeman
6. Melvin Anthony
7. Silvio Samuel
8. Dennis James
9. Mo Elmoussawi
10. Gustavo Badell
11. Darrem Charles
12. Johnnie Jackson
13. Craig Richardson
14. Ronny Rockel
15. David Henry
16. Kevin English
17. Fouad Abiad
17. Sergey Shelestov
17. Leo Ingram

We have new Mr. Olympia. Dexter Jackson from Jacksonville, FL became the 12th man who can call himself Mr. Olympia. It was a great Olympia, very exciting with high quality competitors. I’m pleased that finally in my view bodybuilding is going into the right direction. Classic physiques are rewarded over unaesthetic mass monsters and it is very encouraging to see it.
New Mr.Olympia, Dexter Jackson is a seasoned veteran in pro circuits. He turned pro 1998 winning North American Championship as a light heavyweight. He has a very impressive resume on the pro level including 3 wins at Arnold's Classic.

Dexter showed up with in his usual sliced and diced condition. His physique just flows together nicely, symmetry, balance, conditioning, muscle separation and roundness... everything is there. He defeated reigning 2 times Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler. Jay was never known for aesthetics, although he always brings an incredible amount of muscle on stage with decent conditioning. This Olympia he was off, especially during the prejudging. There was something not right about Jay's physique. He was blocky even for his standards and was holding water as well. Jay was lucky to finish second. There were 2-3 guys in the lineup who could place ahead of him. When Dexter was announced winner, Jay showed good sportsmanship congratulated him with respect. Jay showed once again that he is a class act. I have utmost respect for Jay Cutler, but we all know, bodybuilding is a "funny" sport, sometimes you win sometimes you lose, sometimes when you least expect it.

Third place went to 2008 Ironman Pro Champ, Phil Heath. He has an incredible combination of size and conditioning. If he had just a little wider shoulders, he would have been hard to beat. He made tremendous improvements over past 2 years and in the future he'll be the one to watch. German bodybuilder Dennis Wolf placed fourth. Before the Olympia, he was mentioned as a main threat to Jay Cutler to take Mr. Olympia crown. Dennis showed up in a great condition, especially from the back, but it wasn't enough for judges to place him higher. He improved from last year, especially lower back, but he still has few weaker points, which he will certainly bring up and become main contender for next year's Olympia. Dennis is Mr. Olympia caliber and he will likely become Mr. Olympia in the future.
Fifth place went to X-Man, Toney Freeman. I have to admit, Toney looked incredible. He could have been placed higher. His structure, great conditioning, nice shape was amazing. He brought it all up last night in Vegas. Excellent showing for Toney, hopefully judges will recognize it in a future. Genetically gifted, Melvin Anthony took a sixth place. He looked good, but not his best and it looked like Silvio Samuel who placed seventh, had him beat. Both are great bodybuilders, Melvin has an incredible structure and Silvio has an unbelievable conditioning and muscle shape. Much improved Dennis James was eight, with his midsection much smaller, yet incredible muscle size. Great showing for Moe Elmoussawi. First time on Olympia stage and he placed ninth. He presented an excellent conditioning and pleasing physique. Veteran warrior Gustavo Badell came in tenth. We have seen Gustavo in better shape, although he looked pretty good, last night, too. His lower body was slightly off. All in all, it was an excellent and exciting Olympia.

Next year with Victor Martinez coming back to the Olympia stage, with Dennis Wolf, Phil Heath, Toney Freeman and, of course, Mr.Olympia Dexter Jackson it's gonna be treat for all bodybuilding fans and new era of bodybuilding will take place.