“Was Upset but There Was No Time”: 7x Mr. Olympia Recollects Brave Memory of Coping With His Father’s Devastating Loss

While bodybuilding has had many champions over the years, few have won more than five Mr. Olympia titles. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman are among them. However, besides Coleman, only Phil Heath has won more than five. In fact, The Gift equaled Arnold Schwarzenegger’s record before losing against Shawn Rhoden. Earlier, the 43-year-old talked about overcoming challenges during his career.

While appearing on Chris Williamson’s Modern Wisdom podcast, Heath talked about dealing with pain. Druing with his seven-year run as Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath dealt with pain in many forms. However, a few challenges affected him more than losing his father. Yet, Health talked about how he couldn’t mourn when it happened.

The bodybuilding icon recalled how he reacted to the news

Phil Heath said he did a guest posing session in Cleveland, Ohio, for Dave Lieberman. The 43-year-old recalled getting a standing ovation and doing a meet-and-greet with at least a hundred fans. However, shortly after the event, Heath learned his father had passed. Yet, he decided to do the event. The seven-time Mr. Olympia explained why.

The former champion had his phone on speaker when he got the news. The driver looked at him with a questioning look. So Heath told him to drive slowly. Once he got to the hotel room, the then-reigning Mr. Olympia tried to process the news. Phil Heath said he heard a whisper, which sounded like his father’s voice telling him to “go to work. You got work to do.“

“By now the the promoters heard what was going on,” said Heath. They offered him to cancel the event and catch a flight back home the following morning. “I said no I’m good. I just needed this moment,” Heath told Williamson. Phil Heath “was upset but there was no time,” he said during the podcast. However, the 43-year-old lost his cool during his first Mr. Olympia after his father passed.

When Phil Health’s rival hit a nerve

In 2014, the bodybuilding icon sat with the other competitors during the Mr. Olympia press conference. Press conferences are rare events besides the shows where so many competitors share the stage. Hence, there is always a chance of rivals getting into arguments during a press conference. That is exactly what happened when Kai Greene interrupted Phil Heath.

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The then-defending champion said he would win the 2014 Mr. Olympia and dedicate the win to his late father. “That’s what the first three should’ve been!” said Greene. Heath, still coping with his loss, lost his cool, and a war of words started. “You’ve talked about the past your whole, entire career, making excuses,” countered Heath. However, the host stepped in before it escalated further.

Phil Heath found glory in the bodybuilding stage. However, the man who equaled Arnold Schwarzenegger’s record had to deal with pain and challenges throughout his career.

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