Ronnie vs Jay
Written by: Greg Merritt, Senior Writer
Once again the Mr. Olympia title comes down to a two man race between Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler. This year, however, things could be different than the other three times the dueling duo finished one-two. As witnessed at the Saturday morning prejudging, King Coleman came in smaller than the last two years at 275, and his waist is notably slimmer with deeper abs. Meanwhile, Cutler is in his best condition ever at 264. Coleman still has detailed thickness Cutler doesn't possess in areas like chest and hamstrings, but Cutler hung with Mr. O in the compulsory poses and seemed to gain ground throughout the morning. In fact, when they called the duo out for the final comparison and as the raucous crowd screamed for one or the other, Cutler looked slightly better than Coleman in the two back poses (back double bi and rear lat spread), which were previously the champ's "Lights Out" shots. Whatever the scores say, this is not a "Lights Out" battle. The two physiques are very close, and coming into the night show, there is no telling which way the contest may swing. One thing is certain: History will be made at Saturday evening's show. Either Coleman will tie Lee Haney's record of eight Mr. O's or the heir apparent will end the king's run at seven and a new king of bodybuilding will be crowned.
