Kevin Levrone - Can He Turn Back Time at the Olympia?
Kevin Levrone - Can He Turn Back Time?
Where Will He Place at the Olympia?...You Tell Us
Where will Kevin Levrone place at the 2016 Mr. Olympia. Give us your vote and tell us why.
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In one of the most intriguing storylines in years former four-time Mr. Olympia runner-up Kevin Levrone will compete at the 2016 Mr. Olympia on September 16th and 17th in Las Vegas. At age 51, The Maryland Muscle Machine has been out of serious flexing action since his third place finish at the 2003 Show of Strength and a couple of week earlier he was sixth at his last Olympia. (Which incidentally was his worst ever showing in the dispute for a Sandow. In 12 Olympia appearances, 1992-2003, this is his exemplary record: Four seconds; three thirds; three fourths; one fifth; one sixth.)
Kevin also won 20 pro contests, the third highest in the open pro division behind Dexter Jackson on 23 and Ronnie Coleman on 26. In fact at this weekend’s Arnold Africa Jackson is favorite to notch his 24th win.
LOGIC AND LEVRONE
Logic declares that a 51-year-old bodybuilder returning to the ultimate contest on the calendar after a 13 year gap will be blown away. Logic is right, but logic has never been the 1991 NPC overall champion’s strong suit.
Overruling logic are the genetics of this comeback kid and his fighting spirit. On the question of genetics and his ability to put on quality muscle fast two episodes stands out. It was June 2002 and a meeting of Weider athletes was called for a get together at the company’s HQ in Woodland Hills, California. The likes of Ronnie Coleman, Shawn Ray, Chris Cormier, Nasser El Sonbaty and Gunter Schlierkamp attended and then in walked a guy who looked like Kevin Levrone’s undernourished little brother. It was if The Maryland Muscle Machine had morphed into The Maryland Shrinking Machine. He was about 210 pounds and it was clear he wouldn’t be ready for the Olympia in four months time. But nobody told Kevin, and at that years Olympia a 34 pounds heavier Levrone stormed to second place and nearly unseated incumbent Ronnie Coleman. It was drive and muscle memory that kicked in to transform Levrone’s physique in four months.
There’s no quit in this guy, he’s not a whiner and he is as tough as old boots as is proved by the second episode. Rewind to late January 1993 and the news comes that the Olympia runner-up of the previous year had ruptured his right pec while bench pressing. The consensus was there was no way he could make it to September’s Olympia in Atlanta. Again nobody told Kevin. He went through a pretty advanced operation had a lot of setbacks but never lost his focus on getting back to the Olympia. From a state of muscle atrophy in June he had been granted just over three months to whip himself into shape. I spoke to him many times and told him to forget 1993 and concentrate on 1994. In his distinctive drawl he would say, “No man, I gotta do this, it’s more than getting ready for a contest. This is personal and a battle I have to win.”
The night before the 1993 Olympia I visited Kevin’s room and he looked tremendous. His warrior spirit had taken physical form in hitting Olympian level shape. At 240 pounds he was 12 pounds heavier than the previous year. Sad to report by the morning of the contest he had taken on a film of water and finished fifth. He was disappointed with his eventual placing but as I wrote at the time, “Considering where he started from, Kevin had travelled further than any of his contemporaries. There was no bigger heart in Atlanta that weekend than the one that beat inside the formerly damaged chest of this fifth place finisher.”
CONCLUSION
So in summation the two great attributes Kevin Levrone has is genetics and his iron will to prevail. His ability to quickly accumulate muscle mass is what prompted me to dub him The Maryland Muscle Machine. His genetics are extra freaky in comparison to other genetic freaks. Of all the ‘90s luminaries Kevin has always been the one I would have said was capable of getting into top shape at an advanced age. This humble scribe is convinced that his warrior heart and spirit will augment his genetic inheritance and drive him to stand on the 2016 Olympia stage and not look out of place. And Hey! Whatever happens you can always count on Kevin Levrone to produce a great storyline. The more things change ………
So take our poll and tell us where Kevin will finish at this year’s Mr. Olympia.
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