There have been 59 Mr. Olympia contests, one per year since 1965, and 18 Mr. Olympia winners. That’s the basic math. We dive deep into the numbers to compile the definitive, up-to-date database of Mr. Olympia records, rankings, and fascinating statistics.
MOST MR. OLYMPIA WINS
8 — Ronnie Coleman (1998-2005)
8 — Lee Haney (1984-1991)
7 — Phil Heath (2011-17)
7 — Arnold Schwarzenegger (1970-75, ’80)
6 — Dorian Yates (1992-97)
There have been 18 winners. Eleven of those have won multiple titles. The five legends above have won 36 of the 59 titles.
MOST MR. OLYMPIA TOP TWO FINISHES
10 — Jay Cutler
9 — Ronnie Coleman
9 — Phil Heath
8 — Lee Haney
8 — Arnold Schwarzenegger
This list consists of bodybuilders who placed first or second. Haney never finished second and Schwarzenegger and Coleman did so only once and Heath twice. In contrast, Cutler was second six times and first four times.
MOST MR. OLYMPIA TOP THREE FINISHES
10 — Jay Cutler
10 — Phil Heath
9 — Ronnie Coleman
9 — Lee Haney
This list consists of bodybuilders who placed first, second, or third.
MOST MR. OLYMPIA TOP SIX FINISHES
16 — Dexter Jackson
12 — Kevin Levrone
12 — Shawn Ray
11 — Ronnie Coleman
11 — Jay Cutler
11 — Phil Heath
This list consists of bodybuilders who placed in the top six spots, which, traditionally, were the places that earned a spot in the Olympia posedown. Phil Heath is the only one of the above legends who never missed the top six. Kevin Levrone and Shawn Ray each missed it only once.
MOST MR. OLYMPIA SECOND PLACE FINISHES
6 — Jay Cutler
4 — Kevin Levrone
3* — Franco Columbu
3 — Rich Gaspari
3 — Kai Greene
3 — Flex Wheeler
* Two of Columbu’s seconds were lightweight class wins when the Mr. Olympia had two weight divisions in the 1970s.
Thirty-five men have finished second in the 59 Mr. Olympia contests, nearly twice as many as have won. Levrone finished second the most without winning.
FEWEST MR. OLYMPIAS ENTERED BEFORE WINNING
1 — Lee Haney
1 — Derek Lunsford
1 — Sergio Oliva
1 — Arnold Schwarzenegger
1 — Dorian Yates
Not included here is Larry Scott, who won the first Olympia in 1965, when all three competitors were, of course, rookies. Since then, no one has won the Mr. Olympia on his initial try, but the five above won on their second tries.
BEST MR. OLYMPIA DEBUT
2nd — Arnold Schwarzenegger (1969)*
2nd — Dorian Yates (1991)
2nd — Kevin Levrone (1992)
2nd — Flex Wheeler (1993)
2nd — Derek Lunsford (2022)
* There were only two competitors (Sergio Oliva and Arnold Schwarzenegger), so, technically, Arnold also finished last.
We’ve left Larry Scott off this list, too, since his debut was the debut Mr. Olympia.
MOST MR. OLYMPIAS ENTERED BEFORE WINNING
8 — Dexter Jackson
7 — Shawn Rhoden
6 — Brandon Curry
6 — Jay Cutler
6 — Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay
MOST PRO CONTEST WINS WITHOUT A MR. OLYMPIA WIN
20 — Kevin Levrone
16 — Vince Taylor
16 — Flex Wheeler
11 — Chris Cormier
11 — Kai Greene
11 — Roelly Winklaar
For pro contest wins, we’ve included only men’s open contests, so not masters (Taylor won six shows) or any other division.
BIGGEST JUMP TO A MR. OLYMPIA WIN
8 places — Ronnie Coleman (9th in 1997 to 1st in 1998)
5 places — Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay (6th in 2018 to 1st in 2020)
4 places — Brandon Curry (5th in 2017 to 1st in 2018)
4 places — Shawn Rhoden (5th in 2018 to 1st in 2019)
Big Ramy is the only Mr. Olympia competitor to win his first Olympia title after not competing in the previous Olympia.
HIGHEST JUMP FROM OLYMPIA TO OLYMPIA
21 places — Gustavo Badell (24th in 2002 to 3rd in 2004)
11 places — Casey Viator (15th in 1980 to 3rd in 1982)
11 places — Dennis Wolf (DNP in 2009 to 5th in 2010)
These are jumps between one Olympia entry and the next. Badell’s and Viator’s were two year jumps; Wolf’s was one year. Badell’s record seems unlikely to be broken, as the entire 25-man lineup (second largest ever) was scored in 2002 (typically all places over 16 are given a DNP: Did Not Place), and he was next to last. Then, the next time he stepped on the O stage, he contended for the title.
BIGGEST DROP FROM OLYMPIA TO OLYMPIA
12 places — Robby Robinson (5th* in 1979 to 17th in 1984)
12 places — Robby Robinson (5th in 1987 to 17th in 1988)
12 places — Dennis Wolf (4th in 2008 to DNP in 2009)
* Robinson finished 3rd in the lightweight division, so we placed the top two in each division ahead of him.
These also are from entry to entry. Note that Wolf holds the mark (with Robinson) for biggest one-year drop and, set right after that, also holds the record for highest one-year leap.
YOUNGEST MR. OLYMPIA WINNER
Arnold Schwarzenegger (1970), 23 years, 2 months
Lee Haney (1984), 24 years, 11 months
OLDEST MR. OLYMPIA WINNER
Shawn Rhoden (2018), 43 years, 5 months
Chris Dickerson (1982) 43 years, 1 month
YOUNGEST MR. OLYMPIA COMPETITOR
Harold Poole (1965), 21 years, 9 months
OLDEST MR. OLYMPIA COMPETITOR
Albert Beckles (1991), 53 years, 2 months
TALLEST MR. OLYMPIA WINNER
Arnold Schwarzenegger 6’2″
SHORTEST MR. OLYMPIA WINNER
Franco Columbu 5’5″
TALLEST MR. OLYMPIA COMPETITOR
Ralf Moller 6’6″
Related content: Tallest Bodybuilders Ever
SHORTEST MR. OLYMPIA COMPETITOR
Flavio Baccianini 4’10”
Related content: Giant Killers: The Best Short Bodybuilders Ever
CITIES THAT HOSTED THE MOST MR. OLYMPIAS
23 — Las Vegas, Nevada
10 — New York, New York
6 — Columbus, Ohio
4 — Orlando, Florida
HIGHEST MR. OLYMPIA CAREER EARNINGS
$2,625,000 — Phil Heath
$1,232,000 — Jay Cutler
$1,1630,000 — Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay
$1,116,000 — Dexter Jackson
$1,087,000 — Ronnie Coleman
Related content: Bodybuilder Career Earnings: Top 12 All Time
MOST MR. OLYMPIA ENTRIES
21 — Dexter Jackson
15 — Ronnie Coleman
13 — Albert Beckles
13 — Jay Cutler
13 — Shawn Ray
LONGEST TIME BETWEEN MR. OLYMPIA ENTRIES
17 years — Lou Ferrigno (1975 to 1992)
13 years — Kevin Levrone (2003 to 2016)
12 years — Sergio Oliva (1972 to 1984)
LARGEST MR. OLYMPIA LINEUP
28 competitors — 2022
25 competitors — 2002
24 competitors — 1985
24 competitors — 2007
SMALLEST MR. OLYMPIA LINEUP
1 competitor — 1968 (Sergio Oliva)
1 competitor — 1971 (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
2 competitors — 1969 (Oliva, Schwarzenegger)
In the first 10 Mr. Olympias (1965-74) there were never more than five competitors.
SMALLEST MR. OLYMPIA LINEUP SINCE 1977
10 competitors — 2020
13 competitors — 1997
13 competitors — 2000
2020 was the pandemic year.
MR. OLYMPIA: WON, LOST, WON
Jay Cutler — 2006-07 (won), 2008 (lost), 2009-10 (won)
Only Jay Cutler lost the Mr. Olympia title and then won it back. Ten other Mr. O’s have tried, unsuccessfully, to do this: Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane, Chris Dickerson, Samir Bannout, Ronnie Coleman, Dexter Jackson, Phil Heath, Shawn Rhoden, Brandon Curry, and Big Ramy.
TWO DIVISION MR. OLYMPIA
Derek Lunsford — 2021 212 Mr. Olympia, 2023 Mr. Olympia
The 212 division is open to those who weigh in at 212 pounds or less. The Mr. Olympia has no weight restrictions. Derek Lunsford is the first person, male or female, to win an Olympia title in more than one division.
LONGEST TIME BETWEEN MR. OLYMPIA WINS
5 years — Arnold Schwarzenegger (1975 to 1980)
5 years — Franco Columbu (1976 to 1981)
2 years — Jay Cutler (2007 to 2009)
All other multiple Mr. Olympia victories were consecutive.
RETIRED AS MR. OLYMPIA
Arnold Schwarzenegger (1980)
Franco Columbu (1981)
Lee Haney (1991)
Dorian Yates (1997)
Of the 18 Mr. Olympia winners, only the four above have retired as champ and stayed retired. Larry Scott also went out on top (after winning the 1966 Mr. Olympia), but he made a brief comeback 13 years later.
