In 1980, the reigning (for the last 3 consecutive years) was the great Frank Zane. In the summer of 1980 2 things happened which had tremendous impact on the upcoming IFBB Mr. Olympia. First, Frank Zane had a terrible accident. While tanning by the pool, the chair he was on broke and collapsed. Frank cut his urethra on the edge of the pool! He had internal bleeding and had to spend time in the hospital in the weeks leading up to the Olympia. He was 59 and had won the Olympia in 77, 78 & 79 at bodyweights of 187, 190 and 195 pounds respectively. He had defeated the two top Heavyweights of those years, Robby Robinson (77 & 78) and Mike Mentzer (79) to win the Overall Olympia title. In 1980, the IFBB announced there would only be an Open Weight Class. Zane was prepared to come in in his best shape ever and at just over 200 pounds. This accident left him struggling to get back to 185! He asked his close friend, 6 time Mr. O, the retired Arnold Schwarzenegger to assess his physique and tell him if he thought Zane should even bother to try to defend his title, or if he should sit out until 1981. Arnold watched Zane pose at the gym, looked at him very closely and told him to compete. Yes, he said, Zane had lost size, but he was still good enough to win. What about you, Arnold? Frank asked. And that was because of the SECOND thing that had happened that summer: Arnold Schwarzenegger had returned to Golds and Joe Golds World Gyms...with a vengeance! (@this_is_bodybuilding)
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 11:14:44 +0000
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