Sergio Oliva (July 4, 1941 – November 12, 2012) was a Cuban-American

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

known as The Myth. He was a three-time Mr. Olympia winner.

Early life

Sergio Oliva was born on July 4, 1941 in Guantanamo, Cuba, during the presidency of

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (; ; born Rubén Zaldívar, January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator ...

. As a teenager, after only a year of training, Sergio was able to perform clean & jerks in excess of 400 pounds. These feats caught the attention of the Cuban government, who selected Sergio to represent Cuba at the upcoming 1961

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is hel ...

. During his time in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

representing Cuba at the Games, Oliva snuck out of his quarters while the guards were distracted. He then ran at top speed until he was safely inside the American consulate. Arriving breathlessly, he demanded and received

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another entit ...

. Soon, 65 other Cuban nationals followed him, including Castro's entire weightlifting team and their security guards. Shortly afterwards, Oliva was living in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, working as a TV repairman.

Life in the United States

Oliva then went on to win the

Mr. Olympia Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation ...

title three years in a row, at 5 feet 10 inches and at a contest weight of 225–245lbs. Oliva's 1968 Mr. Olympia win was uncontested. In 1969, he won his third consecutive Mr. Olympia by beating a Mr. Europe, a Mr. International, and four-time Mr. Universe winner Arnold Schwarzenegger. In his 1977 autobiography, "Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder", Arnold tells of their first encounter:

Then for the first time, I saw Sergio Oliva in person. I understood why they called him the Myth. It was as jarring as if I'd walked into a wall. He destroyed me. He was so huge, he was so fantastic, there was no way I could even think of beating him. I admitted my defeat and felt some of my pumps go away. I tried. But I'd been so taken back by my first sight of Sergio Oliva that I think I settled for 2nd place before we walked out on the stage I never like to admit defeat, but I thought Sergio was better. There were no two ways about it.

However, Schwarzenegger won his first Mr. Olympia title by edging the Myth the following year with a score of 4-3. Oliva was banned from competing in the 1971 IFBB Mr. Olympia because he competed in the 1971 NABBA Mr. Universe. This was extremely controversial because Schwarzenegger had competed for this very same contest the year before and without Sergio to challenge Arnold, some felt that the contest was fixed. Schwarzenegger said:

I'd coasted to my second title as Mr.Olympia, in Paris in 1971. The only possible challenger had been Sergio - nobody else was in my league - and he'd been barred from the contest, along with others, because of a dispute between federations.

In 1972, under the High-Intensity Training (HIT) system of Arthur Jones, the designer of Nautilus training equipment, Oliva challenged Schwarzenegger for the 1972 Olympia in Essen Germany. By all accounts, Sergio was in his all-time greatest shape and completely confident he would regain the Mr. Olympia title. Arnold beat Sergio into 2nd place and was crowned Mr Olympia yet again. He said:

..in Essen, it seemed like all the top Bodybuilders turned up at their very best except for me. Sergio was back, even more impressive than I remembered. Compared with all of the other Bodybuilders I've ever faced, Sergio really was in a class by himself. I was struck by that again the minute we were onstage. It was so hard to look impressive next to him with those incredible thighs, that impossibly tiny waist, those incredible triceps.

In 1985, at the age of 44, Oliva returned for an attempt at the famed Mr. Olympia title one last time. He could manage just an 8th-place finish, the same as the year before. Robert Kennedy, the publisher of the magazine MuscleMag International, wrote:

Anyone who loves the sport of bodybuilding knows the name of Sergio Oliva, known as the Myth. I greatly admired him and consider him to be the all-time world's greatest physique. I saw him in competition many times, including his shows against Arnold. There is no doubt that with his wide shoulders and narrow hip structure he was superior to any other Bodybuilder of his generation. Sergio was not only the most aesthetic bodybuilder on stage but also the biggest... Sergio Oliva is considered by most to be the world's most genetically gifted bodybuilder... He set a whole new standard for competitive bodybuilding; loved by millions, revered by many, and feared by some. He was so huge and extremely proportioned that he used to bring chills to his adversaries. This is how he acquired the name of the Myth.

Personal

*He served the city of Chicago as a police officer for more than 25 years. *In 1986, Sergio survived being shot by his then-wife Arleen Garrett. He sustained 5 bullet wounds to his abdomen from a '.38' special.

Death

Sergio Oliva died on November 12, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois from apparent kidney failure. He was 71 years old and was the first Mr. Olympia to have died, followed by: * Larry Scott - March 8th, 2014 *

Franco Columbu Francesco Maria Columbu (August 7, 1941 – August 30, 2019) was an Italian bodybuilder, powerlifter, actor, author, producer, and a licensed chiropractor. Originally a boxer, Columbu won the Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981, and competed in the i ...

- August 30th, 2019 *

Shawn Rhoden Shawn Rhoden (April 2, 1975 – November 6, 2021) was a Jamaican-American IFBB professional bodybuilder and past Mr. Olympia. He won the 2018 Mr. Olympia contest by defeating seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath. Early life Born in Kingston, Ja ...

- November 6th, 2021 * Chris Dickerson - December 23rd, 2021

Bodybuilding titles

*1963 Mr Chicago – 1st *1964 Mr Illinois – 1st *1964 Mr America / AAU – 7th *1965 Junior Mr America / AAU – 2nd + “Most Muscular” trophy *1965 Mr America / AAU – 4th + “Most Muscular” trophy *1966 Junior Mr America / AAU – 1st + “Most Muscular” trophy *1966 Mr America / AAU – 2nd + “Most Muscular” trophy *1966 Mr World / IFBB – 1st in the “Tall” category + Overall Winner *1966 Mr Universe / IFBB – 1st * 1966 Mr. Olympia / IFBB – 4th * 1967 Mr. Olympia / IFBB – 1st *1967 Universe / IFBB – 1st overall * 1968 Mr. Olympia / IFBB – 1st (uncontested) * 1969 Mr. Olympia / IFBB – 1st *1970 Mr World / AAU (Pro) – 2nd in the “Tall” category * 1970 Mr. Olympia / IFBB – 2nd *1971 Universe / NABBA (Pro) – 2nd in the “Tall” category *

1972 Mr. Olympia The 1972 Mr. Olympia contest was an IFBB professional bodybuilding competition held in October 1972 at the Handelshof in Essen, West Germany. It was the 8th Mr. Olympia competition held. Results Notable events *Arnold Schwarzenegger won h ...

/ IFBB – 2nd *1972 Mr Galaxy / WBBG – 1st *1973 Mr International, Mr Azteca / IFBB (Pro) – 1st *1973 Mr Galaxy / WBBG – 1st *1974 Mr International / WBBG (Pro) – 1st *1975 Mr Olympus / WBBG – 1st *1976 Mr Olympus / WBBG – 1st *1977 Pro World Championships / WABBA – 1st *1978 Mr Olympus / WBBG – 1st *1980 Pro World Championships / WABBA – 1st *1980 Professional World cup / WABBA – 1st *1981 Professional World Cup / WABBA – 1st *

1984 Mr. Olympia The 1984 Mr. Olympia contest was an International Federation of BodyBuilders, IFBB professional bodybuilding competition held in October 1984 at the Felt Forum in New York City, New York (state), New York. Results Total prize money awarded was $1 ...

/ IFBB – 8th *1984 Professional Mid-States Championships / WABBA – 1st * 1985 Mr. Olympia / IFBB – 8th Sergio Oliva the Myth, Building the Ultimate Physique by Sergio Oliva and Frank Marchante 2007 page 320

References

External links

SERGIO OLIVA: The Myth!
Official Website
Sergio Oliva ProfileSergioOlivaJr.com
Son's Official Website

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Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliva, Sergio American bodybuilders 1941 births 2012 deaths Professional bodybuilders Chicago Police Department officers Cuban emigrants to the United States People from Havana Sportspeople from Chicago Deaths from kidney disease