“I’m actually happy right now,” Cutler said with a smile as he congratulated Heath on the win.

Overcome with emotion, Heath reveled in being congratulated by the other nine finalists and then brought up a story when he first met Cutler backstage at a local bodybuilding show. “I was playing college basketball back then…all scrawny and I saw (Cutler) walk by and I thought to myself, ‘That’s one big dude,’” recalled Heath.

Heath becomes the 13th man to win the Sandow and prevented Cutler from joining an elite group with five or more titles (Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, Ron Coleman).

Rounding out the top 10 were Kai Greene, Victor Martinez, Dennis Wolf, Dexter Jackson, Toney Freeman, Brandon Curry, Ronny Rockel and Hidetada Yamagishi.

Nicole Wilkins reclaimed the Figure Olympia title she lost to Erin Stern in 2010, with Stern taking the runner-up spot and Ava Cowan placing third.

OFFICIAL RESULTS – MEN’S OPEN

Be sure to check in with us throughout the entire weekend for up-to-the-date developments, news and notes from the Orleans and expo hall. We will be updating the website, as well as our Twitter and Facebook pages frequently.

We are also premiering our live episodes of MuscleSport TV via UStream. Make sure you watch it live or via free download.

Here are the competitor’s lists:

Open Men
Troy Alves, USA
Robert Burneika, USA
Brandon Curry, USA
Jay Cutler, USa
Marius Dohne, South Africa
Toney Freeman, USA
Kai Greene, USA
Marcus Haley, USA
Phil Heath, USA
Dexter Jackson, USA
Johnnie Jackson, USA
Michael Kefalianos, Australia
Marc Lavoie, Canada
Victor Martinez, Dominican Republic
Frank McGrath, Canada
Evgeny Mishin, Russia
Edward Nunn, USA
Shawn Rhoden, USA
Craig Richardson, USA
Ronny Rockel, Germany
Ben White, USA
Dennis Wolf, Germany
Hidetada Yamagishi, Japan

202 Men
Al Auguste, USA
Jason Arntz, USA
Pierre Chamoun, Sweden
Guy Cisternino
Myoba Edwards, Canada
Kevin English, USA
Vaughan Ettienne, USA
Jaroslav Horvath, Slovakia
Tricky Jackson, USA
James Lewis, United Kingdom
James Llewellin, United Kingdom
Stan McQuay, USA
Fernando Noronha, Brazil
Sergio Pestano Ramos, Switzerland
Branden Ray
Jose Raymond, USA
Amit Sapir, Israel
Rixio Tapia, Venezuela
Shaun-Joseph Tavernier, United Kingdom
Marvin Ward, USA

FBB
Nicole Ball, Canada
Sheila Bleck, USA
Brigita Brezovac, Slovenia
Kim Buck, USA
Dayana Cadeau, Canada
Tina Chandler, USA
HEather Foster, USA
Monique Jones, USA
Iris Kyle, USA
Debbie Laszewski, USA
Cathy LeFrancois, Canada
Mah Ann Mendoza, USA
Helle Nielson, Denmark
Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia, Venezuela
Kim Perez, USA
Alina Popa, Swizterland
Skada Seifert, Germany

Fitness
Michelle Blank, USA
Jodi Boam, Canada
Myriam Capes, Canada
Bethany Cisternino, USA
Regiane Da Silva, Germany
Nicole Duncan, USA
Tina Durkin, USA
Adela Garcia, USA
Oksana Grishana, Russia
Tanji Johnson, USa
Diana Monteiro, Brazil
Mindi O’Brien, Canada
Camala Rodriguez, USA
Kizzy Vines, United Kingdom

Figure
Jelana Abbu USA
Teresa Anthony, USA
Holly Beck, USA
Cheryl Brown, USA
Raechelle Chase, New Zealand
Krissy Chin, USA
Ava Cowan, USA
Jami DeBernard, USA
Heather Dees, USA
Darlene Escarno, Australia
Alicia Harris, USA
Ella Horton, USA
Candice John, Trinidad
Candice Keene, USA
Chelsey Morgenstern, USA
Kristin Nagrani, USA
Larissa Reis, Brazil
Felicia Romero, USA
Monica Specking, USA
Erin Stern, USA
Gennifer Strobo, USA
Alea Suarez, USA
Ann Titone, USA
Deena Walsh, USA
Natalie Waples, Canada
Courtney West, USA
Latisha Wilder, USA
Nicole Wilkins, USA

Bikini
Dinah Al-Sabah, Kuwait
Jennifer Andrews, USA
Jamie Baird, USA
Barbara Bolotte, USA
Abigail Burrows, USA
Vanessa Campbell, Puerto Rico
Missy Coles, USA
Dianna Dahlgren, USA
Juliana Daniell, USA
Jenny Drennan, USA
Sonia Gonzales, USA
Candyce Graham, USA
Diana Graham, USA
Jessica Jessie, USA
Marisa Renee Lee, USA
Nathalia Melo, Brazil
Shelsea Montes, USA
Justine Munro, Canada
Nathalie Mur, France
Nicole Nagrani, USA
India Paulino, USA
Natalie Pennington, USA
Vanessa Prebyl, USA
Jessica Putnam, USA
Alison Rosen, USA
Christina Vargas, USA
Cristina Vujnich, USA

Well, maybe the powers that be at ‘The Worldwide Leader in Sports’ has heard us and our fans because we are stunningly proud to announce that on Wednesday, August 25 at 4 PM Eastern time on ESPN2, the boys over in Bristol are featuring “The Olympia Elite” on SportsNation.

Dexter Jackson, Phil Heath, Kai Greene, Hidetada Yamagishi and Dennis Wolf will be on hand to discuss the upcoming Mr. Olympia contest and they will also touch on other sports such as football.

The hour long program is hosted by Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd and has been on the air since July 6, 2009. What makes it different from some of their other shows is the viewer interaction with Twitter, Skype, e-mails, live polls and calls. Needless to say, a segment featuring huge bodybuilders on a show that considers golf a true sport (it’s a skill like billiards) should elicit some interesting responses.

But at least there will be some promoting of bodybuilding, and it is long overdue.

WHAT: 2010 Mr. Olympia’s elite on ESPN2′s SportsNation
WHEN: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 4 p.m. EST
WHO: Dexter Jackson, Kai Greene, Phil Heath, Hidetada Yamagishi and Dennis Wolf
FOR MORE INFO on ESPN2′s SPORTSNATION Go here
*Catch ESPN2′s SportsNation Monday-Friday at 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and midnight EST

Yamagishi is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam on Monday to ascertain the extent of the injury. As it is, he had to pull out of two shows because of it, in Tampa and Connecticut. He is said to also look to take this time off with getting hernia surgery that he was putting off until the offseason.

Considering that the Olympia is coming up in September, that would mean that Yamagishi is done for the year. A big blow, for sure, but not one that he cannot recover from. He has many good years left on the big stage and this may turn out to be the best thing that happened to Yamagishi. His body needs the rest and he can use the time off for that and to put on some size.

Hurting your quad while doing a seated upper body movement is a message that your body is telling you to slow down. Yamagishi has already competed in four shows this year and planned on doing seven. That is too much for anyone, especially a bodybuilder with a smaller frame like his. In 2009, Yamagishi competed five times.

We all know what happened, with Cutler besting Branch Warren to reclaim what was once his. Jackson fell to third, with Greene and Heath following. Wolf did not even place and has been quiet of late. With such unexpected results then, who knows what is going to occur this time?

The men who have qualified so far are Cutler, Jackson, Warren, Greene, Heath, Wolf, Melvin Anthony, Erik Frankhouser, Toney Freeman, Marcus Haley, Victor Martinez, Evengy Mishin, Robert Piotrkowicz, Craig Richardson, Ronny Rockel, Roelly Winklaar and Hidetada Yamagishi.

People are very curious about Winklaar, who has been very impressive so far in his rookie professional campaign. He has not officially announced if he will in fact compete a the Olympia. Greene, who took his second consecutive Arnold in March (albeit a controversial decision as far as this writer is concerned), is looking to add his names to the list of bodybuilding greatness by capturing a Sandow.

Cutler is still the favorite going in until proven otherwise and he can assure himself of another victory even by coming in the same as he did last year. It will be hard to beat him if he does but because it is so wide open after that, anyone can jump into the top six and possibly do some damage. But if Cutler comes in a bit off – which is possible for anyone – then a guy like Heath (who deserved this year’s Arnold) can jump up.

There is always a wildcard once we reach Olympia weekend. Looking for one this year? Keep your eye on Rockel, who looked to be in superb condition at the Arnold Classic. If he an add some size and not lose any of his symmetry, he may just be the one we are talking about.

Shortly after that, he was inked to a contract by Muscular Development magazine and graced the cover of their next issue. The buzz was surrounding Winklaar as he prepared for the New York Pro. This would be a good test for him against a quality line-up, but not one that he couldn’t hang with if he came to the Big Apple in top condition.

The likes of Toney Freeman, Hidetada Yamagishi, Dennis Wolf, Johnnie Jackson and Sergey Shelestov would be staring Winklaar in the face and he gladly accepted the challenge. Although these men had years of high end show experience at their disposal, the new guy in town didn’t blink.

Winklaar, who finished with 10 points, earned his first pro win, beating out Yamagishi (24) and Wolf (30) by a wide margin on the judge’s scorecards. This sets him up for the biggest decision of his young career – does he take the stage in Las Vegas this September or take time off for a potentially huge 2011?

It would obviously be difficult to peak more than once or twice in a calendar year and Winklaar has already done that. Does he want to come into his maiden Olympia not in his best shape? That’s a decision he needs to make. The experience of standing on that stage is enticing and may be invaluable, regardless of where he places.

We will find out soon enough what he intends to do, but the O will be a better show with the addition of Winklaar.

MEN’S 202

1 – Kevin English

2 – Jose Raymond

3 – Jason Arntz

WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING

1 – Cathy LeFrancois

2 – Sheila Black

3 – Heather Foster

BIKINI

1 – Missy Coles

2 – Shelsea Montes

3 – Sherlyn Roy

But that all changed six weeks later when Yamagishi stood in the winner’s circle at the second annual Europa Show of Champions in Orlando, Florida. The native of Japan was looking much sharper than he did in Ohio and was rewarded by the judges. Marcus Haley and Evgeny “Eugene” Mishin – two bodybuilders that needed a strong show at this point in their careers – finished second and third, respectively.

Eduardo Correa Da Silva won the 202 class and was followed by Roc Shabazz and Jose Raymond. Erin Stern prevailed in the figure category, with Marcy Porter and Cheryl Brown next. In fitness, a few surprises occurred with Erin Riley and Nicole Duncan not even placing, while Camala Rodriguez was named the winner. Regiane Da Silva was the runner-up while Myriam Capes finished third. Nathalia Melo Moreira won the bikini division and Jamie Baird (second) and Missy Coles (third) right behind her.

Haley, 37, had his highest placing as a professional and also took home the Best Poser award. Last year, the Florida resident finished ninth at the Iron Man Pro, 13th at the Arnold, 10th at the Tampa Pro and 12th at the Europa Super Show. The Russian Mishin has always had the size at 6’2″ and 300 pounds, but had only one top-10 placing since his pro debut at the 2003 Night of the Champions. That came at his previous show, the 2009 New York Pro, at which he finished eighth.

By earning his first pro win, Yamagshi can finally let the three second place finishes behind him. He was the runner-up to Troy Alves at the inaugural Europa Show of Champions, Gustavo Badell at the 2009 Atlantic City Pro and Melvin Anthony in January’s Phoenix Pro.

How does Yamagishi get prepared for so many shows in a calendar year? “It doesn’t bother me because I am used to it from being an amateur,” Yamagishi said. With three shows already behind him in 2010, you have to figure that Yamagishi will compete at the Mr. Olympia. The top three in all the categories (minus bikini) at the April 17 show qualify to take the stage in Las Vegas come September.

And now when people talk about a stacked competitor list, Yamagishi will be amongst that group.

MEN’S BODYBUILDING

4th Place – Mike Kefalianos

5th Place – Constantinos Demetriou

MEN’S 202

4th Place – James Llewellin

5th Place – Michael Valentino

FIGURE

(Only the top three were placed.)

FITNESS

4th Place – Erin Reily

5th Place – Kristina Rojas

BIKINI

4th Place – Kira Rivera

5th Place – Janet Harding

These are all things going through their minds and they had only a few hours before the evening Finals would commence. But most of these men had been through it all before. But this was was Roelly Winklaar’s first professional show, let alone the 2010 Arnold Classic.

The Netherlands resident did not appear satisfied afterwards but remained positive. “I feel good,” he said. “I did my best.” Winklaar made the second call-out and for a rookie, that was quite an accomplishment in itself in a line-up as deep as this one was. “If I don’t make the top six, I’ll try again,” he said.

After the introductions and individual posing routines, six men remained in their posing trunks while the rest packed up. Winklaar joined his trainer Sibilla Peeters in the audience and when asked, said that he had no idea where he had placed at that time. His mood may have been brighter if he knew that he did in fact finish seventh, ahead of Hidetada Yamagishi, Melvin Anthony, Robert Piotrkowicz, Tarek Elsetouhi, Johnnie Jackson and Sergey Shelestov.

A week later at the Australian Pro, Winklaar qualified for the Mr. Olympia by taking third place. And just recently, he was signed by Muscular Development magazine and appears on the cover of their upcoming issue.

Things are certainly looking up for Winklaar and even if he decides not to compete again right away, his future looks very bright, indeed.

Even in his most successful campaign (2008), he entered and won five contests – the Arnold, Australian, New Zealand and Russian Grand Prix, as well as the Mr. Olympia. “You just have to know how to pace yourself,” Jackson said two days out of the ’08 O about competing in three shows before the most important one. “It’s not going to affect me in any way. I’ll still be 110 percent on that stage.” All of that dieting may have taken a lot out of him and ‘The Blade’ decided to compete in only one show the following year.

Jackson finished a disappointing third last September in Las Vegas and his reaction upon hearing his name called with two more competitors standing beside him left no mystery as to what he thought of the judge’s decision. Although many defending champions get the benefit of the doubt to at least finish as the runner-up, it’s hard to argue with Branch Warren taking second and Jay Cutler winning the Sandow.

There have been many names thrown around as possible winners of the Arnold. Of course, Kai Greene is the favorite as the reigning title holder and should be. He is a special bodybuilder who finished fourth at his maiden Olympia. He had peaked in March and it was too much for him to come in six months later in top condition again. Then there is Warren, who won the Most Muscular Award at the last Arnold.

Others to keep an eye on are Phil Heath, Hidetada Yamagishi and Toney Freeman.

Jackson is looking to get his fourth Arnold Classic victory (2205, 2006, 2008) and has a good chance to come in to do just that. He still has many folks in his corner and can rebound easily from having the Olympia title taken from him after just one year. If he can win in Columbus, people will be once again putting him in the category of the all-time greats. But if he finishes out of the top three, the chatter that he has seen his best days will become commonplace.

Photo by Francesco Pillari

As bodybuilding fans all know by now, Badell took home the winner’s purse of $18,000 at the AC and now has set himself up for another run at the Olympia, where he finished in the top 10 last year. “The Freakin’ Rican” was not a surprise and anyone who feels that he was did not do their homework.

Badell has 11 years experience on the pro circuit and has won two shows (2005 Iron Man Pro, 2006 San Francisco Pro). In 2008, he finished second at the Iron Man, sixth at the Arnold Classic and 10th at the Olympia. He came into this year’s Arnold a little off and placed 11th but had plenty of time to prepare for this contest and obviously used it well.

In case you need further convincing, this is a guy who placed third at two consecutive Olympias only five short years ago.

At 5’8″ and 240 pounds, Badell had the size to get more than noticed. He came in condition and took the top spot against some quality competition in Hidetada Yamagishi, Troy Alves, Melvin Anthony and Leo Ingram.

• 1991 Junior Caribbean Championships, overall winner
• 1997 Caribbean Championships, overall winner (received pro card)
• 1997 World Amateur Championships Heavyweight, 10th
• 1998 Grand Prix Germany, 9th
• 1999 Grand Prix England, 17th
• 1999 Night of Champions, Did Not Place
• 1999 [[World Pro Championships, 14th
• 2000 Ironman Pro Invitational, 18th
• 2000 Night of Champions, Did Not Place
• 2000 Toronto Pro Invitational, Did Not Place

• 2000 World Pro Championships, 11th
• 2001 Grand Prix England, Did Not Place
• 2001 Ironman Pro Invitational, 16th
• 2001 San Francisco Pro Invitational, 11th
• 2002 Ironman Pro Invitational, 13th
• 2002 Night of Champions, 10th
• 2002 Mr. Olympia, 24th
• 2002 Southwest Pro Cup, 6th
• 2002 Toronto Pro Invitational, 3rd
• 2004 Arnold Classic, 7th
• 2004 Ironman Pro Invitational, 3rd
• 2004 San Francisco Pro Invitational, 4th

• 2004 Show of Strength Pro Championship, 3rd
• 2004 Mr. Olympia, 3rd
• 2005 Arnold Classic, 3rd
• 2005 Ironman Pro Invitational, 1st
• 2005 Mr. Olympia, 3rd
• 2006 Arnold Classic, 4th
• 2006 San Francisco Pro Invitational, 1st
• 2006 Mr. Olympia, 6th
• 2007 Arnold Classic, 4th
• 2007 Mr. Olympia 8th
• 2008 Ironman Pro Invitational, 2nd
• 2008 Arnold Classic, 6th
• 2008 Mr Olympia, 10th
• 2009 Arnold Classic, 11th
• 2009 Atlantic City Pro, 1st