The 1999 Arnold Classic was one for the ages, where a Yugoslav bodybuilder, Nasser El Sonbaty, broke a long-running US streak at the contest. Flex Wheeler in particular won most of his championships for the US in and around that time (1997,1998,200). In a recent throwback picture, he reminisces about the great time all bodybuilders had at the competition. Present alongside were Joe Weider and the great Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.

Flex Wheeler is very active on Instagram and constantly shares motivational messages via videos or images. In his recent story, he shares a picture that shows several of the contestants from Arnold Classic 1999 (including him) posing with Joe Weider and Schwarzenegger.

Flex Wheeler goes down memory lane with a picture from 1999

Wheeler just wrote in his IG story, “Timeless” alongside the picture. It had a background set that looks like the dilapidated ruins of an ancient structure. A fire emoji followed the caption and underneath he wrote, “the weiders”, who were essentially the pioneers of the biggest bodybuilding championships. Although no other words accompanied the caption, Wheeler’s pride and emotions spoke immensely through the story.

Ironically, 1999 was the year that Weider didn’t win, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the company of his fellow participants. Günter Schlierkamp, Dennis James, Chris Cormier, Dexter Jackson, Flex Wheeler, and Kevin Levrone graced the stage from left to right. Stood alongside them, was Joe Weider at the center and Arnold Schwarzenegger at the right-most end. It truly was an outstanding lineup of bodybuilders.

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Wheeler was at the top of his game when El Sonabaty dethroned him as the reigning Arnold Classic champion. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the picture.

The comeback of Wheeler and living life as an advocate at present

Wheeler didn’t finish inside the top 3 in 1999, with Levrone and Cormier filling up the next two spots. But he came back stronger than ever to clinch the 2000 Arnold Classic title. Besides Wheeler, Dexter Jackson and Kevin Levrone are the only ones from within that picture, to ever win an Arnold Classic championship. While Levrone won once in 1994, Jackson won it five times later on in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2013, and 2015.

The 2000 Classic also marked the last time Wheeler won any professional bodybuilding contest, as his kidney disease caught up to him. It forced him to a leg amputation, nearly two decades later in 2019. He has since been advocating for amputees around the world.

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Championships may come and go, but it’s the memories that remain and the bond that’s cherished, as Wheeler did via his story.