Written by Dan Solomon
06 October 2012

Olympia Weekend 2012 coverage presented by BPI Sports

THE BODYBUILDING REPORTERS - THE FINAL REFLECTIONS

"Unexpected Trouble for the Champ"

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We thought we had it all figured out.  Phil Heath was going to walk into the Orleans Arena and steamroll his was to an easy pay day.  His mentor and primary rival wasn't in the contest.  The genetic marvel who wowed us a year ago with a dazzling display of three-dimensional, striated, chiseled symmetry was poised to blow past the entire lineup this year.  Most of us expected a slam dunk from the former college basketball player.

But somewhere, a Predator was lurking quietly.  Often described as one of the most unusual and emotionally complex members of the IFBB's pro ranks, Kai Greene is a living, breathing contradiction.  He's an introvert, spiritually connected in a way that few could understand.  His career and his life have both been a roller coaster (I'll write about it someday).  But buried beneath all of that is a tenacious, relentless bodybuilder with a voracious appetite to win.  And on September 29th, in front of 6,000 fans, he nearly did.

From the moment the judging started, a version of Kai walked on stage that we hadn't seen in recent years.  This was a different Kai Greene, one that he and his advisor George Farah crafted in an attempt to deliver something that would force the judges to take a long, hard look at their scorecards.  The 2012 incarnation of Kai was more tapered and his lines appeared a bit cleaner.  After watching him perform the seven compulsory poses, something became abundantly clear.  A scenario was unfolding that few of us were prepared for.  Was the defending champ in trouble?

TBR-PROBLEM-FOR-CHAMP-INSFans of Heath watched nervously as Kai started to win the crowd over. There were chants of, "Greene, Greene, Greene" echoing throughout the arena.  I sat in my seat next to Steve Blechman and we both took notice at an undeniable shift that was occurring in the audience.  We were suddenly reminded that Kai had beaten Phil just two years earlier in Columbus.  It happened before, but could this really be happening now?

Meanwhile, in the other corner, the Champ came prepared to fight. His proportions were as incredible as we remembered them to be.  His muscles were round, his lines were nearly as crisp, while his quad sweep and massive shoulders helped him command the stage.  For every bullet in Kai's arsenal, Phil was ready with a shot of his own.  We found ourselves studying these guys closely as they went pose for pose. There were certain poses won by Kai and other poses won by Phil.  We were all waiting for the knockout punch...but it never came.

Kai Greene, the quiet, "muscle-whisperer" from New York was going mano-a-mano with the Bentley driving Golden Boy from Colorado.  These two Men have very little in common, except for an obvious yearning to be the best in the world at what they do.  When Phil was announced the winner, the decision was met with mixed feelings by those in attendance.  It was never supposed to be this way.  This was supposed to be the year that Phil would begin his "Post-Cutler" domination.  But that's not the way it went down.  In the end, the Champ held on to his throne, but it was the soft-spoken introvert who may have made the most noise.

EDITOR'S NOTE

This conclude's TEAM MD's 2012 OLYMPIA WEEKEND coverage.  Once again, we made damn sure the title of #1 MULTI-MEDIA DESTINATION FOR CONTEST COVERAGE was proven in the work we displayed.  FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF EVERYTHING BEFORE, DURING, & AFTER THE OLYMPIA WEEKEND CLICK HERE!  As a parting shot, here's aother look at the project we used to kick off Olympia Weekend: The Bodybuilding Reporters filmed on set at SCORE LV in the Luxor Hotel.  The finest in bodybuilding media as host Dan Solomon is joined by Peter McGough and the Hall of Famer Shawn Ray came together to discuss everything Olympia. Check it out below...

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