Revisiting Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Olympia career over the years
Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered one of the most successful Mr. Olympia. Although it's been years, he quit bodybuilding and has ventured into acting, politics, and business. However, he has engraved his name in golden letters in the bodybuilding championship.
Schwarzenegger held the record for the highest number of Mr. Olympia titles until Lee Haney matched his seven wins in 1990. However, Haney broke the record after winning the championship for the eighth time in 1991.
Later in the early 2000s, Ronnie Coleman tied Lee Haney to win the Mr. Olympia title the most number of times, winning the championship eight times from 1989 to 2005.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a name with multiple talents. Born on July 30, 1947, he is the second child of Austrian police chief Gustav Schwarzenegger.
Arnold was brought up in very strict surroundings. In one of his interviews, he confessed that the rods were ready if he disobeyed his parents. Arnold's father preferred his elder son over him, and the strong favoritism emanated suspicion that he was not his biological son.
Arnold Schwarzenegger began his professional bodybuilding career in 1963. He competed at several Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting championships and won his first tournament in 1964. He won two weightlifting and two powerlifting tournaments and seven Mr. Olympia tournaments.
Did Arnold Schwarzenegger lose any Mr. Olympia tournaments?
Having won seven Mr. Olympia titles, Arnold Schwarzenegger lost a competition before registering his first victory. Schwarzenegger began his journey with a dream of becoming the biggest bodybuilder in the world, and years later, he became one.
Arnold competed for the 1969 Mr. Olympia title but missed the chance to win the tournament. However, he lifted the trophy for the first time in 1970 and continued the legacy until 1975, when he retired from bodybuilding to pursue a career in acting.
The Thal-born actor confessed that he used steroids to build his body during the early days of his career when muscle-building drugs were introduced in the market and were legal.
Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to compete in the tournament in 1980 and clinched the trophy again before retiring. After his retirement, Arnold worked in movies and soon became the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.
His bodybuilding legacy lives on through the Arnold Classic annual bodybuilding competition. Besides Mr. Olympia, Arnold Schwarzenegger also won Mr. Europe, Junior Mr. Europe, Best Built Man of Europe, NABBA Mr. Universe amateur and professional, IFBB Mr. International and Universe, and AAU Mr. World.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Olympia results and prize money
Arnold Schwarzenegger earned an incredible amount from the Mr. Olympia championships.
He finished second at the 1969 championship but did not win a penny from the event. A year later, he won the tournament, and $1000 in prize money was carried forward in 1971. The prize money was doubled in 1972 but declined to $750 in 1973, as reported by Sporting News.
The following year, the winning amount was $1000, which increased to $2500 in 1975. Arnold won $25,000 in 1980, 25 times more than his first tournament.