Mr. Olympia Through the Years: A List of Every Winner

By
Richard Choueiri
Richard Choueiri
Richard Choueiri is a bodybuilding expert. He is a certified trainer and mixed martial arts coach who wrote "The Human Statue Workout."
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Updated on 12/06/18

Mr. Olympia was created in 1965 by the late Joe Weider, the father of bodybuilding, to determine who was the greatest bodybuilder on the planet. Since then, a total of only 14 bodybuilders have won the coveted Sandow trophy and earned the title of Mr. Olympia. Two of those bodybuilders, Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman, co-hold the record for the most victories at eight apiece.

01
of 06

1960s

Sergio Oliva
California Governor, and former Mr. Olympia, Arnold Schwarzenegger (L) talks with former Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva (R) while touring the trade show at Arnold Fitness Weekend March 7, 2004 in Columbus, Ohio. Mike Simons/Getty Images

Sergio Oliva, born in Cuba in 1941, fought against Castro with General Batista at the age of 16. After his military service, Oliva began lifting weights with friends​ and quickly became a competitive bodybuilder. In 1962, Oliva was chosen to represent Cuba at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Jamaica. There, he ran to the American consulate, where he requested asylum. He won the Mr. Olympia award three times in the 1960s, beating Arnold Schwarzenegger and earning himself the title "The Myth."

  • Mr. Olympia I (1965, New York City, New York, USA): Larry Scott
  • Mr. Olympia II (1966, New York City, New York, USA): Larry Scott
  • Mr. Olympia III (1967, New York City, New York, USA): Sergio Oliva
  • Mr. Olympia IV (1968, New York City, New York, USA): Sergio Oliva
  • Mr. Olympia V (1969, New York City, New York, USA): Sergio Oliva
02
of 06

1970s

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Austrian-born bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger flexes his muscles onstage, 1970s. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images

Born in Austria in 1947, Schwarzenegger began lifting weights at 15 years old. As a young man, he trained with Mr. Austria Kurt Marnu and during his military service, won the Mr. Universe title. He came to the United States in 1968, continued to train, and in 1970, won the first of seven Mr. Olympia titles. Schwarzenegger went on to become a movie star and governor of California, as well as the founder of the Arnold Sports Festival bodybuilding competition. 

  • Mr. Olympia VI (1970, New York City, New York, USA): Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Mr. Olympia VII (1971, Paris, France): Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Mr. Olympia VIII (1972, Essen, West Germany): Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Mr. Olympia IX (1973, New York City, New York, USA): Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Mr. Olympia X (1974, New York City, New York, USA): Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Mr. Olympia XI (1975, Pretoria, South Africa): Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Mr. Olympia XII (1976, Columbus, Ohio, USA): Franco Columbu
  • Mr. Olympia XIII (1977, Columbus, Ohio, USA): Frank Zane
  • Mr. Olympia XIV (1978, Columbus, Ohio, USA): Frank Zane
  • Mr. Olympia XV (1979, Columbus, Ohio, USA): Frank Zane
03
of 06

1980s

1980 Franco Columbu
Franco Columbu. rhodney carter (carter chronicles) / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Lee Haney was the winner of eight Mr. Olympia medals in a row beginning in 1984. He served as the chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during Bill Clinton's presidency, and now has his own radio program called "TotaLee Fit with Lee Haney."​

  • Mr. Olympia XV (1980, Sydney, Australia): Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Mr. Olympia XVII (1981, Columbus, Ohio, USA): Franco Columbu
  • Mr. Olympia XVIII (1982, London, UK): Chris Dickerson
  • Mr. Olympia XIX (1983, Munich, West Germany): Samir Bannout
  • Mr. Olympia XX (1984, New York City, New York, USA): Lee Haney
  • Mr. Olympia XXI (1985, Brussels, Belgium): Lee Haney
  • Mr. Olympia XXII (1986, Columbus, Ohio, USA): Lee Haney
  • Mr. Olympia XXIII (1987, Gothenburg, Sweden): Lee Haney
  • Mr. Olympia XXIV (1988, Los Angeles, California, USA): Lee Haney
  • Mr. Olympia XXV (1989, Rimini, Italy): Lee Haney
04
of 06

1990s

1990s Ronnie Coleman
Ronnie Coleman began his run of eight Mr. Olympia titles in 1998. Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images

Dorian Yates, six-time Mr. Olympia winner, was born in England in 1962. He was one of the founders of "high-intensity training" and won many major bodybuilding contests before retiring due to injuries. He now owns several gyms as well as companies that produce bodybuilding equipment and supplements.

  • Mr. Olympia XXVI (1990, Chicago, Illinois, USA): Lee Haney
  • Mr. Olympia XXVII (1991, Orlando, Florida, USA): Lee Haney
  • Mr. Olympia XXVIII (1992, Helsinki, Finland): Dorian Yates
  • Mr. Olympia XXIX (1993, Atlanta, Georgia, USA): Dorian Yates
  • Mr. Olympia XXX (1994, Atlanta, Georgia, USA): Dorian Yates
  • Mr. Olympia XXXI (1995, Atlanta, Georgia, USA): Dorian Yates
  • Mr. Olympia XXXII (1996, Chicago, Illinois, USA): Dorian Yates
  • Mr. Olympia XXXIII (1997, Los Angeles, California, USA): Dorian Yates
  • Mr. Olympia XXXIV (1998, New York City, New York, USA): Ronnie Coleman
  • Mr. Olympia XXXV (1999, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Ronnie Coleman
05
of 06

2000s

Dexter Jackson
Dexter Jackson of the USA strikes a pose during the 2007 IFBB Australian Bodybuilding Grand Prix VII at Dallas Brooks Hall on March 10, 2007 in Melbourne, Australia. Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

Ronnie Coleman is considered to be one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He played football in college, then became a police officer, and finally got into bodybuilding when a friend invited him to join his gym. He is an eight-time winner of the Mr. Olympia contest and won both the Canada Pro Cup and the Russian Grand Prix. After several major injuries, he left active bodybuilding, made several training videos, and currently does product promotions.​

  • Mr. Olympia XXXVI
    (2000, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Ronnie Coleman
  • Mr. Olympia XXXVII (2001, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Ronnie Coleman
  • Mr. Olympia XXXVIII (2002, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Ronnie Coleman
  • Mr. Olympia XXXIX (2003, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Ronnie Coleman
  • Mr. Olympia XL (2004, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Ronnie Coleman
  • Mr. Olympia XLI (2005, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Ronnie Coleman
  • Mr. Olympia XLII(2006, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Jay Cutler
  • Mr. Olympia XLIII (2007, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Jay Cutler
  • Mr. Olympia XLIV (2008, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Dexter Jackson
  • Mr. Olympia XLV (2009, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Jay Cutler
06
of 06

2010s

2012 IFBB Australian Pro Grand Prix XIII - Media Call
Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

The most dominant bodybuilder of the 2010s, Phil Heath was born in 1979 and raised in Seattle. He attended the University of Denver where he played basketball and majored in accounting. He started bodybuilding in 2002 and began winning awards in 2005 including the NPC USA Championship, the Colorado Pro Championship, the New York Pro Championship, and the 2008 Iron Man. He went on to win Mr. Olympia seven times in a row, finally losing in 2018 to Shawn Rhoden. 

  • Mr. Olympia XLVI (2010, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Jay Cutler
  • Mr. Olympia XLVII (2011, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Phil Heath
  • Mr. Olympia XLXIII (2012, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Phil Heath
  • Mr. Olympia XLXIV (2013, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Phil Heath
  •  Mr. Olympia XLXV(2014, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Phil Heath
  •  Mr. Olympia XLXVI(2015, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) : Phil Heath
  •  Mr. Olympia XLXVII(2016, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA): Phil Heath
  • Mr. Olympia XLXIII: (2017, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) Phil Heath
  • Mr. Olympia XLXIII: (2018, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) Shawn Rhoden