“Legs Won’t Win U the Olympia”: 42 Years After Big Win, Bodybuilding World Questions Franco Columbu’s Win Over 72 YO Veteran

In the history of bodybuilding, even the most prestigious bodybuilding competition, Mr. Olympia, has had its fair share of controversial winners throughout its history. Over the years, people have witnessed intense debates and discussions about the judges’ decisions from the past often resurface from time to time. And the latest controversy to take center stage involves the winner of 1981 Mr. Olympia, Franco Columbu, and 72-year-old veteran Danny Padilla. 

The event saw Franco Columbu crowned as the winner. However, a significant number of fans strongly believe that Columbus was not in the best condition and that Danny Padilla deserved the title based on his superior conditioning.

Fan believed Padilla had an edge over Franco Columbu

The controversy surrounding the 1981 Mr. Olympia results gained renewed attention when one of Danny Padilla’s Instagram fan pages, ‘dannypadillapics,’ recently shared a picture from the event. The recent resurgence of this controversy came about with an image showcasing Padilla posing alongside Columbu. The picture served as a reminder to the bodybuilding community of the contentious decision made over four decades ago. It ended up reigniting the debate about who deserved the title that day.

Fans immediately took to the Instagram post, expressing their belief that Padilla should have been crowned the winner based on his superior physique, posing finesse, and overall stage presence. A fan wrote, “Legs won’t win u the Olympia, I think Danny had more he could’ve brought to the table”. “For me, Danny Padilla deserved to be Mr. Olympia,” another fan wrote.  

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Fans pointed to Padilla’s superior muscle definition, symmetry, and overall stage presence as reasons why he should have been awarded the Olympia. “Danny was the clear winner that day”, a fan commented. Another fan added, “Columbu’s legs look like 2 sun-baked sausages”. The section was flooded with comments like “Danny was the best in this shot”.      

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Although the 1981 Mr. Olympia was in contention even before the event started, many top bodybuilders of that time, like Frank Zane, didn’t participate due to the controversial decision of the preceding 1980 Mr. Olympia, where Arnold Schwarzenegger won his 7th title.

The sport of bodybuilding is subject to subjective judgments leading to such contention. Which was your favorite Mr. Olympia event? Do let us know in the comments section.