Phil Heath Succeeds Jay Cutler - TBT 2011
TBT 2011 - Phil Succeeds Jay
They Should Have Presented Two Sandows
THE BATON PASSES
There was a feel good atmosphere surrounding the 2011 Olympia Weekend and nowhere was this more marked than in the interplay between defending champ Jay Cutler and champion elect Phil Heath. It’s well documented that the former has been a mentor to the latter these last few years.
As the duo were waiting for the first place announcement, the four-time champ (who already sensed he was second) began to talk to the soon to be 13th Mr. Olympia. He said, “Are you ready for this bro? Take a deep breath. This is gonna happen. Enjoy it.” It was a magnanimous gesture and later Cutler explained his reasons. “When I finally beat Ronnie Coleman [in 2006] for my first Sandow is was sort of surreal and I didn’t take it all in – I wasn’t in the moment. I sort of missed it -- it’s a moment you can’t take back. So I wanted to make sure Phil did get to enjoy his moment and not miss it like I did. So I walked him through it.” [Jay not tasting the full joy of a long awaited victory in 2006 was probably not helped by Ronnie a visibly shocked Ronnie, feeling slighted by the result, almost stomping offstage without taking part in the usual post contest melee.]
For his part Phil was in awe, “The way Jay handled himself was epic. We saw how great a heart he has. He’s guided me for six years and he still had the grace to guide me through to the end although it meant beating him. Amazing.”
Cutler has always been a champion but he was never more a champion than he was on the night he lost his title. In relinquishing his crown, he went out like a warrior on his shield with all guns blazing. (He returned in 2013 and finished 6th)
HAVING JAY’S BACK
As he came out to defend his Olympia crown ion that changing-of-the guard 2011 Olympia night, it was obvious that four-time champ Jay Cutler had sustained a trauma to his left biceps. Later Cutler explained it was a tear. As fans watched the webcast live, almost immediately all sorts of weird stuff flew around the Internet like comments that tagged his dilemma as the biggest oil spill since the BP disaster.
Backstage prior to the finals he was telling a group of pundits led by King Kamali – who obviously knows a thing or two about such bumps in the road -- that it was indeed a tear, but they seemed to think it was an abscess and he should pull out of the contest and go straight to hospital. Now okay their advice was maybe well meant but the defending champ was looking like he was about to tell them to go forth and multiply as yours truly interceded. I put my arm around Jay’s shoulder (which is a hell of a stretch) and told his inquisitors, and principal wise guy King Kamali, “If Jay says it’s a tear it’s a tear. He is Mr. Olympia. This is his career. This is his decision. Don’t try and make decisions for him until you’re in his shoes.” Which if they had kleptomania tendencies they well could have been because the four-time champ had left his shoes in the locker room some 30 minutes earlier.