Sergio Oliva (; July 4, 1941 – November 12, 2012), often known by his

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

'The Myth' for his physique and performance, was a Cuban American

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...

and three-time

Mr. Olympia Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanct ...

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 played a dominant role in Cuban politics from his initial rise to power as part of the 1933 Revolt of t ...

. As a teenager, Sergio was able to perform clean & jerks above 400 pounds. He was selected to represent

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

at the 1962 Central America and Caribbean Games. While representing Cuba in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, he successfully claimed

political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...

in the United States. Soon after, 65 other Cuban nationals, which included Castro's entire weightlifting team and their security guards, followed Oliva by seeking asylum in the US. In the United States Oliva lived in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, where he worked as a TV repairman.

Career

Oliva won the

title three years from 1967 to 1969 in a row. He competed at a contest weight of 225–245 lbs. His second title in 1968 was uncontested. In 1969, he won his third consecutive Mr. Olympia by beating four-time Mr. Universe winner

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

. Oliva was banned from competing in the 1971 IFBB Mr. Olympia competition due to the fact that he competed in the 1971 NABBA Mr. Universe, allowing Schwarzenegger to claim the title. In 1972, Oliva challenged Schwarzenegger again for the year's Olympia in

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. However, he again placed second behind Schwarzenegger. In 1985, Oliva returned for a final attempt at the Mr. Olympia title. He finished this year in 8th place - repeating his position from the previous year.

Personal life

* Oliva was a

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

officer in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

from 1976 to 2003. * In 1986, Sergio survived being shot by his then-wife Arleen Garrett. He sustained five bullet wounds to his abdomen from a .38 Special handgun. * His son, Sergio Oliva Jr., is an IFBB Pro bodybuilder who won the 2015 NPC Nationals bodybuilding competition, and who has since competed on

Arnold Classic The International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Professional League, IFBB Pro Arnold Sports Festival, also known as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, is an annual multi-sport event consisting of professional bodybuilding (''Arn ...

, and New York Pro stages.

Death

Sergio Oliva died on November 12, 2012, in Chicago,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, from apparent

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

Bodybuilding titles

References

External links

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

* ttps://archive.today/20130615122500/http://musclemecca.com/content/265-sergio-oliva-myth.html Sergio Oliva - The Myth and the heart throb!Sergio Oliva Article at MuscleMecca 2013
Sergio Oliva: The Full, Amazing Story of The Myth
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliva, Sergio American male bodybuilders 1941 births 2012 deaths Professional bodybuilders Chicago Police Department officers Defecting sportspeople from Cuba Cuban emigrants to the United States People from Havana Sportspeople from Chicago Deaths from kidney disease 20th-century American sportsmen