Arnold Classic 1998
As Flex Wheeler heard his name being read, he went down on one knee and bowed his head in gratitude. At the same time he threw a hand in the air, the same hand that had been wrapped in gauze a few months after Flex Wheeler Was victim of a robbery.
Noch 1997 verglich Flex Wheeler in front of the microphone at the Mr. Olympia 97 Wahl sein Schicksal noch mit dem von Prinzessin Diana und Tupac, schloss dann aber seine Ansprache damit, dass er sich als „Naturgewalt“ bezeichnete. Aber auch ein Naturgewalt hat seine Feinde, dazu gehörte Nasser El Sonbaty. Even the enemy is a bit too mild - mortal enemy would be more appropriate.
Had to for the past two years Nasser El Sonbaty at least watch twice how Flex Wheeler snatched the title in front of his nose. This time the defeat was certainly even harder, because too Nasser El Sonbaty started in his best form. While the Posedown brought life to the place, it delivered Nasser El Sonbaty one duel after the other with Flex Wheeler, where the two tensed so hard that some spectators feared that the muscles and veins of the two would burst.
All the hostilities that take place between constantly changing opponents have never found a satisfactory resolution. In this sport everyone fights for themselves without help from their teammates and even in this environment Nasser El Sonbaty und Flex Wheeler unique.
NASSER EL SONBATY
In the past few years, Nasser El Sonbaty's body has evolved to the point where it can take on any opponent on any battlefield.
He knows his goal and doesn't allow any distractions. His iron will has not made him many friends, but his success speaks for it all the more clearly: Nasser El Sonbaty belongs to the closest circle of those who can hope for the crown in bodybuilding.
The experts called Flex Wheeler the closest Mr. Olympia But then came the setbacks, which brought with them a certain regularity: In the spring a hurricane at Arnold Classic, in the fall a mild breeze that caused a sensation in the audience at the Mr. Olympia election.
Help in 1998 came from Chad Nicholls, the husband of Ms. Olympia Kim Chizevsky.
Flex said, "Charles Glass continues to act as my trainer, but Chad Nicholls helped me spruce up my diet, which made all the difference."
For Flex Wheeler, Chad Nicholl's help was certainly a blessing that helped him reach the next level of performance.
"It's like Christmas for me," announced the 41-year-old Vince when he came off the stage with his trophy for third place. VinceTaylor who had won the first Masters Arnold Classic the day before, was a new person, full of energy and enthusiasm. For him, the competition the day before was even an advantage: "If I hadn't done the Masters competition, my form would not have been so good."
Due to the wide stage, the participants had to carry out each comparison once on the left and once on the right side of the stage. It was definitely a big advantage for the spectators, but it was grueling for the athletes: "It was really tough, but it made my definition a lot better," confirmed Vince.
Why was Vince happier about third place than he was about winning the day before? Part of it was surely because it gave Vince the opportunity to show the young pens how to do it right, but there are other reasons for being a bodybuilder Vince's age.
“I received a jacket for my victory at the Masters Arnold Classic. When Arnold came with the jacket, I said, 'Where's my trophy? A trophy is something you keep forever. The jacket is great, but I wanted a trophy. "
Vince didn't complain - he was happy with his place and that Jim Lorimer allowed him to take part in both competitions, which he is denied year after year at the Mr. Olympia. It's a shame because it turned out to be a real experience for the audience on both nights.
JEAN PIERRE FUX
This time fourth place was a gift and not deserved due to his form on the day, but you have to admit that he has earned his right to a final place among the best in the world in the past. His amateur colleague, Roland Cziurlok, had to put up with the fact that the judges completely ignored him despite his significantly better form.
Jean-Pierre Fux scheint sich langsam wohler auf der Bühne zu fühlen, wie sein Grinsen zeigte, das seine Most-Muscular-Posen während des Posedown untermalte. Hinter der Bühne gab Jean-Pierre Fux zu, dass er härter antreten und seinen aufgequollenen Bauch unter Kontrolle bekommen muss.
CHRIS CORMIER
In fifth place for the Real Deal, this was the opportunity to demonstrate its excellent shape and aesthetic lines again. A little more mass would have brought him further forward. Chris Cormier may well have been the victim of his own successes last year: After his win at the Night of Champions 1997 and his impressive performance on the Euro tour, much was expected of him. “I prepared myself this time and I only had two months, which is just not enough. Two months are the last minute in bodybuilding. For the Arnold Classic you just need more time. "
DARREM CHARLES
Sixth place for posing artists Darrem Charles was the sixth place among the expectations of many observers. Darrem had put on five pounds and looked accordingly better. In the posing group Darrem sprayed with skill and perfection that only from Vince Taylor was achieved. Darrem dominated the stage every second and with every movement. The former break dancer is known for his robotic moves, but his bodybuilding poses aren't far behind. After all, Darrem was at the the week before Ironman Pro Invitational 1998 with his second place qualification for Mr. Olympia made.
Darrem, who lives in sunny Florida, has fresh and realistic views about his career: “I'll never weigh 125 pounds. Bodybuilding is a beautiful sport and everything should go together. More than just the body is challenged - I hope I can with that Mr. Olympia-Choice to leave a positive impression. "
AARON BAKER
Aaron ist auch als Batman bekannt belegte den siebten Platz. Er hatte für ein Jahr die Wettkampfszene verlassen, um sich zu verbessern. Er hatte deutlich mehr Masse, war jedoch mit seiner Form nicht sehr zufrieden: „Ich konnte einfach nicht abnehmen. Ich habe mich ausgehungert und kam trotzdem nicht mit dem Gewicht herunter.“ Viele wären froh, wenn sie ihre Masse so problemlos halten könnten, aber für Batman war es nicht von Vorteil. Aaron bekräftigte, dass er froh ist, dass er sich ein Jahr frei genommen hatte. Jetzt will er sich überlegen, ob er beim Mr. Olympia wants to compete again: "I don't know yet - I just want to live normally."
DON LONG
For Don Long, the opposite was true: he was almost 10 kg lighter than planned. "Three days ago I still weighed 117 kg," he told us behind the stage. “I expected to compete with 113 kg. But then I lost 10 kg while dehydrating. It was really scary. Now I weigh 107 kg, which is just not enough. ”Don was deeply disappointed with his eighth place, but many of the viewers could not understand his problems, but rather thought that Don looked good, no worse than in the past at least.
LAN HARRISON
Lan still struggles with offering bulk and hardness at the same time. He partially compensates for this shortcoming with his broad grin, but it is far from sufficient for the desired placements. Although Lan was well below his old weight of 125 kg this time, the shape wasn't there.
Was ist mit Roland passiert? Schwer zu sagen, denn seine Form war gut und hätte eigentlich einen höheren Platz mit sich bringen sollen. Dass dem nicht so war, war für niemanden verständlich. Vielleicht hätte er ein Neonschild und ein Nebelhorn gebraucht, um die Aufmerksamkeit der Kampfrichter zu erringen. Rolands Körper war in Form: der Bizeps, die Brust, der gewaltige Lats alles war in Topform, trotzdem wurde er nicht beachtet.
JEFF LONG
Jeff is a great guy. Even though he ran as a middleweight, he looked really good here. He had improved significantly over his 13th place, which he had taken two weeks earlier at the Ironman Pro Invitational 1998. If he continues like this, he will weigh 150 kg at the Mr. Olympia.
Arnold Classic 1998 results
1 Ken Wheeler (Flex)
2 Nasser El Sonbaty
3 Vince Taylor
4 Jean Pierre Fux
5 Chris Cormier
6 Darrem Charles
7 Aaron Baker
8 Don Long
9 Ian Harrison
10 Roland Cziurlock
11 Jeff Long
12 Grant Clemesha
Arnold Classic 1998 – Masters
1 Vince Taylor
2 Sonny Schmidt
3 Robby Robinson
4 Yohnnie Shambourger
5 Patrick Nicholls
6 James Roberts
7 Mohamed Makkawy
8 Emeric Delczeg
9 Honore Cironte
10 Ed Corney
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