While Arnold Schwarzenegger was the benchmark for aspiring bodybuilding champions to make a career in the field, his closest competitor who is also regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, is Ronnie Coleman. With a dominating physique matched with a unique grace, Coleman has succeeded in making a name alongside Schwarzenegger as an 8-time Mr. Olympia.
Despite having a towering physical persona and a body structure that is the envy of many, Ronnie Coleman has also surprisingly seen failure. The champion bodybuilder met his match with Lee Priest, ironically a sportsman who was much smaller in size but managed to gain superiority over his rival on 5 different occasions.
Ronnie Coleman Couldn’t Stomach His 5-Time Defeat To Lee Priest
Giving Arnold Schwarzenegger a run for his money is no small feat but 8-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman ensured that he made his name as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. The retired champion has also won over 26 IFBB titles and has cemented his name in history. Despite being a formidable force in the field, Coleman too had to face a few surprising defeats in his career. The athlete had to eat humble pie in the Mr. Olympia competition when he lost on 5 different occasions to Lee Priest, a seemingly diminutive bodybuilder who is just 5 feet 4 inches in height. Speaking of the losses and his inability to come to terms with them, Coleman said in an interview via YouTube,
“He was a little guy, I was a big guy. It was kind of depressing. I was 5 times depressed”
The bodybuilding legend also went on to say that Lee Priest’s win proved that size did not matter. It was the hard work and determination to get his body into the best shape it can be, that ensured his dominance over Coleman and other bodybuilders.
Ronnie Coleman Received Lifetime Achievement Award From Arnold Schwarzenegger
Nicknamed ‘The King’, Ronnie Coleman is widely considered one of the greatest bodybuilders of his generation. The 8-time Mr. Olympia champion has stood toe to toe with his friend and idol Arnold Schwarzenegger and has spoken many times of how the Hollywood star has inspired him to do better. In 2021, Coleman was honored with the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award at the Arnold Classic Event. Recalling the emotional moment while receiving the award from the Austrian superstar, Coleman spoke to the Nothing But the A Podcast about the surreal feeling.
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my whole life. I haven’t won a lot of wars, you know. I have had a few here and there but lifetime achievement and then being presented by Arnold also, somebody you look up to, idolize in a way, it was a quite blood reaching experience.”
The King went on to state that he felt humbled and honored to receive this award from the greatest bodybuilder of his time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and praised the Terminator star as one of the most influential people in his life and career.
Source: YouTube, Nothing But the A Podcast
