PHIL HEATH ... "THE GIFT"
Phillip Jerrod Heath, born in 1979, in Seattle, Washington, is an American IFBB professional bodybuilder. He is a seven-time Mr. Olympia winner, having won the competition every year from 2011 to 2017. His latest victory tied him with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the joint-third number of all-time Mr. Olympia wins, behind Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman, who are joint-first, with eight wins each. At the height of 5-feet, 9-inches, his contest weight was 240 pounds.
Heath attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, where he was team captain and shooting guard on the varsity basketball team. He attended the University of Denver on an athletic scholarship, majoring in business administration while playing shooting guard for the university's Division I basketball team.
Heath entered bodybuilding in 2002. In 2005, he won the overall title at the National Physique Committee (NPC) USA Championships, earning the right to compete as an IFBB Pro. He won his first two IFBB professional events the following year: The Colorado Pro Championships and The New York Pro Championship.
In 2007, Heath placed fifth at the Arnold Classic. Although he still qualified to compete in the 2007 Mr. Olympia contest, Heath, nevertheless, did not enter the contest, stating that he needed additional time to improve his appearance.
Heath won the 2008 Iron Man contest and placed second to Dexter Jackson at the 2008 Arnold Classic. In his 2008 Mr. Olympia debut, Heath finished third to become the first novice to place in the top three since Flex Wheeler in 1993.
Heath claimed the fifth position at the 2009 Mr. Olympia title and second place at the 2010 event. He gained the crown in 2011. He defended the title of Mr. Olympia consecutively six times since then until 2018 when he placed second to Shawn Rhoden.
(During the countdown to the Bound for Glory wrestling pre-event in 2013, Heath accompanied brothers, Jessie and Robbie Godderz, to the ring for their tag team gauntlet match, which they won; later, partnered with them to their World Tag Team Championship bout against Gunner and James Storm. After the match, he celebrated their title victory with them in the ring and backstage during an interview.)
Reportedly, Heath is contemplating a comeback in the 2023 Mr Olympia contest. If he does compete, he would be just six weeks from his forty-forth birthday. He has had a three year hiatus since his last competition, and November will be six years since his last Olympia win. What do you think? Should he try for number eight?