Ronnie Coleman Successfully Defends Olympia Title

It was a spectacular and historic evening for the sport of bodybuilding, as Ronnie Coleman took his sixth straight Mr. Olympia title in Las Vegas Saturday night. In a night that included a visit from California governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, ColemanÂs 287 pounds handily disposed of Jay Cutler, who finished runner-up to the defending champ. Finishing third was Dexter ÂThe BladeÂ Jackson and fourth was Dennis James. Full results are below.

The sold-out crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center were thrilled with the surprise visit from Schwarzenegger, who told the crowd, ÂI feel like IÂm home again.Â Arnold went on to thank Joe Weider for giving him his start in the U.S., and then helped Joe bestow the special Olympia medals to all 16 competitors. Later, Arnold brought the house down by clowning with longtime friend and two-time Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu, who received two special awards from the IFBB. Quipped Franco: ÂIÂm happy that I got two awards and Arnold got nothing.Â

Also on hand was eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney, the man who broke ArnoldÂs record of seven Mr. O titles. Haney received a special lifetime achievement award from the IFBB and FLEX magazine.

Check out our exclusive gallery following the list of results. Check back at FLEXonline later in the week for more special Olympia coverage.

2003 MR. OLYMPIA
Las Vegas, Nevada; Saturday, October 25, 2003
WINNER: RONNIE COLEMAN (USA)
2) Jay Cutler (USA)
3) Dexter Jackson (USA)
4) Dennis James (USA)
5) GÃ¼nter Schlierkamp (Germany)
6) Kevin Levrone (USA)
7) Darrem Charles (Trinidad and Tobago)
8) Troy Alves (USA)
9) Melvin Anthony (USA)
10) Ernie Taylor (England)
11) Johnnie Jackson (USA)
12) Rodney St. Cloud (USA)
13) Art Atwood (USA)
14) Claude Groulx (Canada)
15) Lee Priest (Australia)
16) Jonathon Davie (Australia)
Note: Top six qualify for 2004 Mr. Olympia contest.