So that's basically a guarantee. I'm trying my best not to post anymore about me, but...
...in 2012, given that Phil had only just turned 32, and already won his first Mr. Olympia, I asked him if it was his goal to win 10 Sandows. I asked him this because Ronnie was 34 when he won his first Mr. Olympia, so if Phil could win up until the same age Ronnie was when he won #8, that would make it the 2021 Olympia, where Phil will be five months older than Ronnie was when he won #8 in 2005. If Phil could do that, he would win a grand total of 11 Sandows.
Phil will definitely win tonight, so that makes #7 in the bag. Can Phil win four more? It's possible. At the very least, he beats Dorian's six wins tonight and ties Arnold. But to me, another win shouldn't be an issue. And we can't rule out the possibility of Phil winning 9, 10, or more...
Anyway, Phil answered my question by saying "I'm taking it one show at a time." That is probably the best way to do it, and that was the strategy that Georges St-Pierre employed - only thinking of his next opponent, but nothing beyond that.
So what does this mean? Is this a disgrace for bodybuilding? Does this mean that the quality of bodybuilding has diminished for Phil to win so many? Does it mean that some of Phil's naysayers were wrong, and that he is better than some people have given him credit for? Does it mean that in two years Phil gets to rightfully call himself the greatest bodybuilder to have ever lived? Will Big Ramy rise and surpass Phil next year, or does Big Ramy not have the genetics to get that sort of conditioning? Will Phil develop Palumboism?
As of now, the possibility of Phil Heath potentially winning a whopping TEN Mr. Olympia titles cannot be ruled out. These days, guys are turning pro at 35, and we have Phil at 37 on the verge of tying Arnold's former record of 7 Sandows.
Some commentary by Lui Marco:
