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.

So when it came down to make the same decision this year, Greene didn’t have to give it too much of a thought judging by his – and his fellow competitor’s –  recent history. Both Phil Heath and Jay Cutler (the last two Mr. Olympia winners, respectively) prepared solely for the O and stayed away from competing until September.

Greene had a lot to prove in 2011 after a lackluster seventh place finish at his maiden Olympia voyage the previous year. He came back strong and dominated the big city stage at the New York Pro, which put him right back into the mix for a top three placing at the Olympia.

That is exactly what happened and Greene is once again in the conversation of dominating bodybuilders. He has already proven himself in Columbus on more than one occasion and he is more than ready to take it a step further.

KAI GREENE – CONTEST HISTORY

But just seeing some of these names from yesteryear was a thrill all in it’s own, as the crowd at the Jackie Gleason Theater can attest. It has been years – and in some cases, decades – since some of these men donned the posing trunks.

In the bikini Olympia qualifier, India Paulino took first place, with Tianna Ta (second) and Juliana Daniell (third) following.

Dayana Cadeau may be making the switch at the right time and announced it last month on her Facebook page:

“I would like to thank all my fans for their support for all these years of my bodybuilding career. This weekend was my last Olympia show as a bodybuilder. I’m gonna do Women’s Physique as an IFBB pro. Much better for me.”

Throughout her 16-year bodybuilding career, Cadeau has competed in numerous shows each year and was a regular at the Arnold Classic and Ms. Olympia. As recently as the last Arnold, she finished in the top 10, and was in the top six at the 2010 Olympia.

But now she is delving into a new class that people are still curious about. Physique is said to be in between bodybuilding and figure, so someone with as much muscle mass as Cadeau will have to a lot of modifications to her routine and diet in order to bring it down.

It remains to be seen the effect that WPD will have on the industry and if other female bodybuilders will follow Cadeau. And then there is the question of how many amateur competitors will go into physique instead of bodybuilding. These are all things that will play themselves out.

But for now, it will be very interesting to see the transformation of Dayana Cadeau.

But that’s not entirely fair when Jason Arntz is in the mix. The New Jersey native may not be the flashy kind, but comes in to every contest in the best of condition. He is basically an automatic top six in the 202 division and has certainly found a home competing in the lighter class.

“I don’t get too far out of shape,” said Arntz. “For me, walking around at 225 pounds, it’s not too heavy for me. I still got to get down to 202, but I’m a lean 225 pounds.”

That will get easier for Arntz and the rest of the division when it changes to 212 and under this fall. Sure, the other guys play by the same rules, but someone who comes in as dry and ripped as Arntz does will certainly benefit from the flexibility of adding some size.

With the loaded line-up in Las Vegas, Arntz persevered and placed sixth. It may be one place lower than the previous year, but Arntz has a lot to build on as the 202…we mean 212, is being held at more and more pro shows every calendar year.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Look for our Jason Arntz feature coming up in the Winter 2012 edition of MuscleSport Magazine

JASON ARNTZ COMPETITION HISTORY

When asked if this was his most difficult win, English barely hesitated when he replied, “Definitely. I was just glad that I persevered.”

Without David Henry in the line-up due to military duty, English stared down James “Flex” Lewis and Jose Raymond and successfully defended the 202 Showdown title. The differences between this year and the previous ones were obvious and English acknowledged as much.

“Each year istotally  different, but you can never measure the heart of a champion,” he said. “Most of the competitors in my division are all champions in their own right. They have already won pro shows. So I always give everyone the same respect. You can never look passed anyone.”

Lewis finished as the runner-up and bested Raymond (third) after losing to him at the New York Pro. Jaroslav Horvath took fourth place in his final competition before retirement, Shaun-Joseph Tavernier placed fifth and Jason Arntz dropped one spot from last year but still came in looking good enough for the top six.

Seven through 10 were as follows: Stan McQuay, “Tricky” Jackson, Allan Auguste and Marvin Ward.

“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

It’s will be hard to argue if “The Gift” gets the nod, as he is showing improvements from 12 months ago. The same cannot be said of the defending title holder. Cutler appeared to be a little drier in 2010, but a day can make a big difference in bodybuilding. We will see tomorrow night.

Kai Greene, Dexter Jackson, Victor Martinez and Dennis Wolf were also in the first call-out and that should be the top six in no particular order. Greene is a little bloated but looks massive and he should be able to place third. The rest can be interchangeable.

On Saturday evening, we will find out if Cutler can win his fifth Sandow or become the first Olympia champion to be defeated on two separate occasions.

The figure competition is also on tap, where Nicole Wilkins-Lee and Erin Stern have chiseled out a great rivalry. Here is the full line-up:

FIGURE

Alea Suarez
Alicia Harris
Ann Titone
Ava Cowan
Candice Keene
Candice John
Chelsea Morgenstern
Cheryl Brown
Courtney West
Darlene Escano
Deena Walsh
Ella Horton
Erin Stern
Felicia Romero
Gennifer Strobo
Heather Dees
Holly Beck
Jami DeBernard
Jelena Abbou
Krissy Chin
Kristen Nagrani
Larissa Reis
Latisha Wilder
Michele Mayberry
Monica Specking
Natalie Waples
Nicole Wilkins
Raechelle Chase
Teresa Anthony

In the fitness category, Adela Garcia defended her title successfully, holding off Tanji Johnson.

Sonia Gonzalez dropped from being the first Bikini Olympia champion a year ago to fifth place, as 2011 Ms. Bikini International Nicole Nagrani, 19, was named the winner.

In women’s bodybuilding, Dayana Cadeau and Mah-Ann Mendoza both competed for the last time. Both are veterans of the sport and will be missed.

FINAL PLACINGS

WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING

1. Iris Kyle
2. Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia
3. Brigita Brezovac
4. Debi Laszewski
5. Alina Popa
6. Sheila Bleck
7. Kim Perez
8. Nicole Ball
9. Monique Jones
10. Tina Chandler
11. Kim Buck
12. Heather Foster
13. Cathy LeFrancois
14. Halle Nielsen
15. Skadi Frei-Seifert
16. Dayana Cadeau
17. Mah-Ann Mendoza

FITNESS

1. Adela Garcia
2. Tanji Johnson
3. Myriam Capes
4. Tina Durkin
5. Oksana Grishina
6. Michelle Blank
7. Bethany Cisternino
8. Jodi Boam
9. Camala Rodriguez
10. Nicole Duncan
11. Diana Paula-Monteiro
12. Regiane Da Silva
13. Kizzy Vaines

BIKINI

1. Nicole Nagrani
2. Nathalia Melo
3. Dianna Dahlgren
4. Jaime Baird
5. Sonia Gonzales
6. India Paulino
7. Alison Rosen
8. Juliana Daniell
9. Abigail Burrows
10. Justine Munro
11. Diana Graham
12. Natalie Pennington
13. Christina Vargas
14. Vanessa Prebyl
15. Cristina Vujnich
16. Barbara Bolotte
16. Candyce Graham
16. Cristy Mendivil
16. Dina Al-Sabah
16. Jennifer Drennan
16. Jennifer Andrews
16. Jessica Jessie
16. Kelly Gonzalez
16. Marisa Lee
16. Missy Coles
16. Nathalie Mur
16. Shelsea Montes
16. Vanessa Campbell

“I’m excited that I found someone that believed in me,” he said last September. “I truly feel that I can get into the top 10.”

Although he did not fare as well as he liked at the O (15th), Alves was still on the map and a threat against a line-up that didn’t include the Jay Cutlers and Phil Heaths of the world. He proved that he still has what it takes by winning July’s Europa Show of Champions and tasted victory again this past weekend at the Phoenix Pro.

Alves, 43, was able to hold off a top-heavy line-up that included Hidetada Yamagishi (second), Ed Nunn (third) and Marcus Haley (fourth) and celebrate a key win in his home town.

After turning pro in 2002, Alves has competed in multiple shows each year. In 2003, he donned the posing trunks on 10 separate occasions and although he hasn’t kept that pace up, Alves is a regular at all of the top IFBB contests. In his rookie campaign, he finished in the top 10 at both the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia.

Now the real test comes for Alves to see if he can maintain the proper conditioning to have an impact in Las Vegas in two weeks. He has proven that he can rise to the top in that second tier-level contest, but he’ll need something extra to do that at The Orleans Arena.

TROY ALVES CONTEST HISTORY