Photos of Cutler from the Olympia clearly showed swelling and redness in the area and it was reportedly suffered during a photo shoot. The injury was still apparent a few weeks later at the inaugural Sheru Classic in India, at which Cutler again was the runner-up to Heath.

That was back in September. Cutler is scheduled to go under the knife in February and be back in the gym by the end of March. Considering that he has competed only once a year, that should be more than enough time for him to get ready for the 2012 O.

But with the torch already passed to Heath and Cutler being 39 by the time that show rolls around, it would have been a wiser decision to have the procedure done earlier. Muscle tears like this need to be surgically repaired and waiting is not going to change anything for the better.

If Cutler has any chance of regaining the title for the second time (he took it back from Dexter Jackson in 2009), then he is going to need as much time as possible to get there. Losing the last four months cannot be changed, so Cutler had better hope that his recovery goes well without any setbacks. He doesn’t have any wiggle room now and has to be on point at every stage of his preparation.

The Texas native returned home and was scheduled for surgery at Baylor Hospital. He should recover and back on stage in 2012.

This comes as a shock as Warren was one of the few expected to give defending champion Jay Cutler a run for his money. Warren stood in the winner’s circle in March at the prestigious Arnold Classic and has placed third and second, respectively, at the last two Olympias.

Source: http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/showthread.php/115257-Branch-Warren-OUT-OF-OLYMPIA-with-torn-quad-tendon.-Will-recover-to-defend-Arnold-title-in-2012

“Official Statement – We are sad to inform you the death of Serge Nubret. Serge has left us on April 19, 2011. The funeral will be held in Paris (Pere Lachaise) on April 29 at 2:10 PM. Meanwhile you can leave a message to his family following this link.    His children.”

Back in July of 2009, MuscleSport Mag posted an article entitled, “The Serge Nubret Mystery Continues,” that was circulated worldwide throughout the Internet and resulted in us being contacted by someone who claimed to be close to the situation asking us to remove parts of the article for Nubret’s safety. With that being a moot point now, we have decided to reprint the entire article in it’s original form:

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In this day and age of instant access and technology that can dispel rumors before they even get any legs, it is amazing that the situation concerning the health of a bodybuilding legend has been in doubt for months on end. Serge Nubret, 70, was reportedly training to make a guest posing appearance at this year’s Mr. Olympia contest before being found in a comatose state at his home in France on March 19, 2009. Nubret’s website included this official statement:

To cut a long story short and to stop the rumors available on the internet, we have decided to publish this official statement concerning Serge Nubret’s health state.

On March 19 2009, our father was discovered home, in a coma by firemen. He was immediately transfered to the Lariboisiere hospital. Since that, Serge Nubret is under the supervision of the hospital’s medical staff. For now, the diagnosis is a hypoglycemic coma probably due to a malfunction of the pancreas. The explorations continues while Serge Nubret is in rehabilitation. We will keep you informed of any change in its health state.

Meanwhile, we suspend the website. Thank you for your understanding and support.

His children.

He was hospitalized and then supposedly suffered a stroke, which was not confirmed. There was even a rumor that Nubret had passed away. Approximately a month later, a forum on the Quantum Touch website reported that he may have been poisoned and that his daughter was his primary care physician:

Hi. My friend, Serge Nubret was deliberately poisoned. His photo is my avatar. He is at Laribroisiere Hospital in France in the Toxicology Department. He has been sedated there for the past 4 weeks. No one is allowed to see him but the family…most of whom he does not trust.

He was in excellent health before. Now he’s in a strange hypnotic zombie state for no reason…like he’s all drugged up and does not recognize people some of the time. He should have been out of there after a few days. But he can not talk or eat or stay awake most of the time. He’s lost a lot of weight. There is no heart or brain damage. His daughter is one of his doctors who is keeping everyone away from him. She is an anethetist and was not on speaking terms with him, but now controls his health and won’t talk to anyone or let anyone see him. He is fighting for his life.

I stressed out so bad about it, I got shingles near my eyes and I need QT myself. I feel very badly about what is happening because it’s unbelievable and sad. Please Help! Send QT and prayer for healing and strength. Thank you so much. I will send my best energy, QT and prayers to all of these requests that I read as well! I’m just learning how to do it; it’s new to me.

A day later, the same forum member posted the following:

Today my friends in France filed a police report to investigate and move him out of there. I pray he will have the strength to survive until they can intervene.

And then on the Muscular Development forum, the following was reported as being from a “friend of Serge Nubret”:

Dear Friends of Serge,

Tommy and I are putting together a card to send to Serge from all of his
friends and fans to show him love and support. Serge has been in the hospital since March 18 when he was poisoned at Pascale’s apartment and sent to intensive care toxicology.

A police investigation has been going on for the past several weeks to fully examine all who were involved and the cover up at Lariboisiere Hospital (where Serge had been sedated/drugged into a state of coma/confused trance where he did not recognize anyone for over a month and could not move or talk).

His daughter, Karine, an anesthetist, was the doctor in charge of him. No one was allowed to see him.When the police became involved, Serge’s condition started to improve immediately–less than 24 hours later he started to recognize people again after the drugs/sedation were ceased.

He is still unable to talk or move very much. Police District 10 is not giving out much information right now because of protocol/security procautions; some of his family are currently under investigation.

Before Serge was poisoned, he was in one of the best conditions of his life. His physique looked similar to and weighed the same as it had decades earlier at his best.

Because he had no heart attack/stroke and his heart/brain MRI was also normal, we are hoping for recovery of memory and health and that there
is no permanent damage from being poisoned, drugged and sedated. Please send him positive energy and prayers.

Thank you.

The latest word came on July 17 when the Bodybuilding.com forum included this post, supposedly from Nubret himself:

my children poisened me to take my money books and land

they drugging me so I canot talk and lies why i am here
i canot walk i dont want die in hopital
hopital know this and cover up everyting pleas get me out

We have reprinted all of the above posts in their original form, misspellings included.

What exactly happened to Nubret remains to be seen, but one thing that we know for sure is that he was training and looking fantastic for someone his age right before he was felled. The likely speculation was that Nubret was using performance-enhancing drugs for his ‘comeback,’ if you will, which caused him to become ill in the first place. Even if he was using anything, his possible grave present condition would appear to have more causes.

MuscleSport Mag has contacted the IFBB and the person who sent the information to Muscular Development asking for any details or at least clarification on what is and what is not true in this situation.

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Nubret’s death at the age of 72 may give the impression that the book is closed, but that is the exact opposite. The condition that he has been in for over two years made his passing something that did not come as a surprise, but nonetheless it should elicit a strong response.

If a crime was in fact committed, then that needs to be revealed and the person(s) responsible deserve to get what it coming to them. Poisoning at worst or neglect at best may have occurred here and Nubret’s family should want to clear their names if that is in fact not the truth.

It works both ways – they should be outed and punished if they did wrong here, as well as apologized to and given condolences for the loss of their father if they are totally innocent. However you look at it, the only way we can get to either place is to have the questions answered.

With the funeral to be held 10 days following his death, does that mean an autopsy was done during that extended period of time? What is the official cause of death? Has this been looked at by the French authorities? Has the Medical Examiner (or the French equivalent) deemed the death ‘non-suspicious?’

These are just a few questions that are obvious ones and we will do our part as a media outlet to press the right people for answers.

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Last March, Kyle somehow was able to prevail in the Ms. International (Arnold Classic), even though Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia came into Ohio looking absolutely stunning. Judging is not an exact science, but it did appear that Oriquen-Garcia was more defined than Kyle. By winning five of the last six Ms. I shows, Kyle has been a tough competitor to say the least. In 2008, she came in off due to suffering an injury and fell all the way to seventh. Oriquen-Garcia won her fourth Ms. I that year.

Heading into the Ms. Olympia, it appeared that it would be a two-woman race once again. “I’m coming in in really good condition,” Oriquen-Garcia said the day before the contest. “I did my best and I’m ready to win.” As far as peaking in March or now, she commented, “I think now is my time. Iris is a great athlete, but we have totally different lines. Let’s see what the judges are looking for this year.”

Kyle and Oriquen-Garcia stood should-to-shoulder holding hands on the stage awaiting the announcement of the winner. Kyle’s reaction seemed to be one of relief and exuberance when she heard her name called and Oriquen-Garcia appeared disappointed but showed good sportsmanship. She knows how it feels to be champion, as she did in 2005 when she won the O, and will have to wait another year for the opportunity. But at 44, the window of opportunity may be starting to close for her.

Oriquen-Garcia has already stated that she will be competing at the Ms. International in 2011 and Kyle surely will be defending her title, so both women will have a chance to do it all over again.

The announcement of his name at the end of the show was still nearly three hours away, but Cutler appeared cool and confident each time he came under the bright lights. He certainly had a few things to worry about, especially from someone so close to him.

“Phil Heath is my best friend in bodybuilding,” said Cutler, “and he’s starting to catch up to me.”

The man known as The Gift sure is and took the runner-up spot behind his confidant and mentor. Branch Warren, who finished second last year, placed third. Dexter Jackson may have seen his best days already, but The Blade proved that he has plenty left in the tank, placing fourth.

The next two were very interesting. Dennis Wolf completed a shocking comeback by finishing fifth after not even placing in 2009. A beaming Wolf said upon his exit from the arena, “It was good for me.” And Ronny Rockell, who has been coming closer and closer each time, joined the top six for the first time. Kai Greene was lucky to take seventh with his roundness and Victor Martinez – who was in danger of dropping out of the top 10 after pre-judging – came in harder at the Finals and placed eighth. Both were unpopular decisions with the crowd, but were the right ones, nonetheless. Rounding out the top 10 were Toney Freeman and Hidetada Yamagishi.

In the 202 Showdown, Kevin English and David Henry took their rivalry to a new level. Henry appeared to have better definition but English had him in size. These two men just do not like each another and displayed as much on the side of the stage by not even acknowledging the other as they stood side-by-side waiting for the official announcement. It was apparent by his reaction that Henry was greatly disappointed. Eduardo Correa finished in third, Jose Raymond fourth, Jason Arntz fifth and Jaroslav Horvath sixth.

In the Figure Olympia, Nicole Wilkins Lee was unable to repeat as champion and Erin Stern took home the crown.

***We hate to brag, but we nailed the top six dead on after prejudging. Too bad Vegas doesn’t have a sports book for the O.

Photo by Francesco Pillari.

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

Fifteen years later, the women had a contest of their own which was originally titled Miss Olympia. Rachel McLish earned the title in that inaugural show, which had graduated from the earlier bikini contests from yesteryear. The Texas brunette remained at the top of the sport, finishing as the runner-up to Kike Elomaa in 1981 and regaining her crown the following year.

In these early days, George Snyder promoted the Ms. Olympia and hand-picked the contestants. It was held separately from the Mr. O in an attempt to garner interest for the sport. After one win by Carla Dunlap in 1983, Cory Everson took over and began a streak six consecutive wins and eventually became the only woman to ever retire undefeated as a pro. It was during this period that “Pumping Iron II: The Women” was released. NBC also broadcasted the Ms. O as part of their “Sportsworld” programming.

At the same time, Lee Haney was collecting Sandows in the men’s shows. Bodybuilding had two marketable faces with him and Everson and were a big part of the fitness revolution. Everyone just had to have a gym membership in those days as a status symbol and looked at the physiques of Mr. and Ms. Olympia as long term goals.

In the 1990s, what may have seemed attainable by the average Joe or Jane exploded overnight. Dorian Yates grew larger with every Olympia he won and Lenda Murray became the top female on the scene. The Michigan native matched Everson’s mark and set a precedent for years to come as far as the size of women’s physiques on the stage.

The IFBB apparently did not fully agree and felt the need to make some controversial changes following the 1991 Ms. Olympia, which was the first to be televised live. Murray barely edged out Bev Francis, a former Australian powerlifter, by a single point. In 1992, Ben Weider and the rest of the personnel running the federation put a set of guidelines in attempting to “feminize” the sport more and that the contestants should not come in “too big.”

The fans apparently disagreed with this and booed decisions in other shows that awarded smaller contestants. With a crossroads in front of them, the IFBB loosened the Murray’s domination continued until she was unseated by Kim Chievsky, who had a physique similar to Murray’s. She then won three more Ms. Olympias before switching to fitness competitions.

While the women were remaining large-framed, Ronnie Coleman took it to the next level. “The King” ruled the men’s division with a frame that nearly hit 300 pounds on stage. By the year 2000, changes were on hand for the Ms. O. The contest was incorporated as part of Olympia Weekend and held the day before the men’s show, weight classes were established and another attempt was made to downsize the competitors. If that ever occurred remains a question, as Lenda Murray made a successful comeback after five years away to retain her title. She won the heavyweight and overall classes in both the 2002 and 2003 shows.

Following that, the baton was passed to Iris Kyle, who has won five of the six last Ms. Olympias. Although she is a gifted athlete, Kyle has been the focus of much discussion as to why the sport has been spinning its wheels. The contests have become less common as the fitness, figure and bikini classes has taken a number of steps up. What appears to be the case is the push for a more feminine look all around the industry, so why is women’s bodybuilding not taking the hint?

In 2009, Heather Armbrust finished as the runner-up to Kyle and has a perfect physique to become the next face of women’s bodybuilding. “Although I am muscular, I have still kept my curves,” she said with a smile.

With the sport at a crossroads, hopefully the judges take the right curve in the road come September.

The giant from  Germany did not even place and finished tied for 16th with Troy Alves, Darrem Charles, Martin Kjellstrom, Bill Wilmore, Joel Stubbs, Michael Kefalianos and Ahmad Haidar. Perhaps the hernia injury and subsequent surgery that kept him out of the Arnold Classic had more of an effect on Wolf’s preparation than anyone knows.

He did not appear to be anywhere near contest shape and one has to wonder if the 5’11″, 270-pounder has missed out on his best opportunities already. Wolf switched to a low-carb diet in 2008 and came in looking flat, but still placed one higher than the previous year. This time around, he went back to a regular diet under the impression that he would fill out better. Unfortunately this was not the case.

Because his offseason was cut short by the injury and recovery period, Wolf did not have the same time frame to get himself ready for this show. Even if he had competed in March, Wolf would have been in better condition to bulk up and cut down by September.

Because he will now need to qualify for next year’s Olympia, Wolf must decide on what show he chooses to compete in to get there. It will not be an easy road back but he is going to be one of the biggest names at a show such as the Iron Man Pro or Europa. If he has any expectations on becoming a legitimate Olympia candidate again, he needs to dominate at one of these ‘second tier’ competitions and also place high at the Arnold.

After four days of giving her elbow a rest, LeFrancois wrote that she was only “able to bend it 90 degrees but no strength.” X-rays were negative but she was still experiencing pain and swelling in the joint. Days became weeks and on August 26 LeFrancois had to succumb to the obvious.

“Maybe it’s not my time,” she wrote. Truth is Olympia isn’t going anywhere and neither am I,” and “So I tell you this, my fans – I am going to WIN the Arnold Classic bigger and better and stronger and next year I will take [the] Olympia.”

LeFrancois, although bitterly disappointed, seems to be in good spirits. She is still not able to bend her elbow beyond a 90-degree angle. She cannot even raise her arm high enough to perform tasks such as washing her hair or open a jar. Needless to say this untimely injury has impacted her Olympia preparation beyond repair.

Although there is no bone damage, LeFrancois, 38, has yet to have an MRI performed on the elbow. She speculated that it may be tendon or ligament damage. Once the swelling goes down, that will in all likelihood be her next move.

CONTEST HISTORY

2009 NY Pro – 1st Place

2009 Arnold Classic – 8th Place

2008 Ms. Olympia – 6th Place

2008 NY Pro – 1st Place

2008 Arnold Classic – 6th Place

2007 Sacramento Pro – 2nd Place

2006 Atlantic City Pro – 9th Place

2006 California Pro Figure – 12th place

2006 Pittsburgh Pro Figure – 13th Place

2005 Sacramento Pro Fitness – 16th Place

2005 Tournament of Champions Pro Figure – 14th Place

2005 Europa Super Show – NP

2005 California Pro – Figure – 17th Place

2003 Ms. Olympia – 4th Place

2003 Arnold Classic – 1st Place

2002 GNC Show of Strength – 2nd Place

2002 Arnold Classic – 4th Place

2001 Arnold Classic – 4th Place

2000 Ms. Olympia – 4th Place

2000 Arnold Classic – 3rd Place

1999 Women’s Pro Extravaganza – 5th Place

1999 Jan Tana Pro – 8th Place

1999 Arnold Classic – 19th Place

1996 Jan Tana Pro – 8th Place

1996 Arnold Classic – 14th Place

1995 Canada Cup – 1st Place

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