All of a sudden Heath’s right knee gave out and he went to the ground, rolled on his back and grabbed his knee. It took only a few seconds before backstage personnel came to his aid and they cut the music. For nearly a minute, Heath just stayed in that position until he turned his head towards the crowd and said, “I was just cramping up. I’m sorry.”

A loud applause followed and he was helped to his feet. He then said, “I don’t know what the hell happened. I’ve been cramping up all day,” and blamed the warm weather as a possible reason. Heath then told everyone that he would walk off the stage and begin his routine all over again. Needless to say, he stayed away from that low pose during the second routine.

Heath appeared no worse for wear but it did seem that he was being more cautious, even at one point taking a peek behind him when he was getting set to perform a rear lat spread while standing close to the front of the stage.

What remains to be seen is if there are any complications to his knee the following day. Heath may have felt as if it was nothing serious and was able to get through the routine, but it could have been worse than it appeared.

All in all, Heath appeared to be in superb condition and looked much better than he did in May when he guest posed at the NPC Long Island. He still seems to be carrying a little too much weight for his 5’9″ frame – perhaps a cause of the accidental slip – but seems to be on his way to a great showing at the Mr. Olympia contest in September.

If even the slightest injury was suffered to his knee, Heath may have to miss some preparation time. The worst case scenario would be that it is serious enough to cause him to miss the Olympia, which would be a crime. “The Gift” finished in third place in 2008, quite an accomplishment for his rookie ‘O.’ He was also being spoken of as one of the favorites in a deep line-up.

PHIL HEATH’S CONTEST HISTORY

’03 NPC Northern Colorado – 1st Men’s Novice & Open Overall Champ
’03 NPC Colorado State – 1st Men’s Light-Heavyweight
’04 NPC Colorado State – 1st Men’s Heavyweight & Overall Champ
’05 NPC Junior Nationals – 1st Men’s Heavyweight & Overall Champ
’05 NPC USA’s – 1st Men’s Heavyweight & Overall Champ * (Awarded Pro Card)
’06 IFBB Colorado Pro Show – 1st
’06 IFBB New York Pro – 1st
’07 IFBB Arnold Classic – 5th
’08 IFBB Ironman Pro – 1st
’08 IFBB Arnold Classic – Runner-up
’08 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 3rd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQR2eLRIuJM&feature=player_embedded