DU alum Phil Heath, a former Pioneers basketball player, was named Mr. Olympia 2011.
Former DU men’s basketball player Phil Heath won the 2011 Mr. Olympia contest, beating out four-time winner Jay Cutler (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010). The contest ran from Sept. 15–18 in Las Vegas.
Nicknamed “The Gift,” Heath became the 13th Mr. Olympia winner since the contest started in 1965, joining the likes of Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the world champion in bodybuilding.
“I feel awesome. Words cannot describe how I feel right now,” the 5-foot 9-inch Heath told flexonline.com immediately following the competition. “I’m so happy that I was able to do it and able to have fun while doing it.”
The 31-year-old Heath was runner-up at Mr. Olympia in 2010 and has finished in the top five in each of the four years he has competed.
Heath was a member of the Pioneers from 1998–2002, playing 65 games as a point guard and shooting guard before beginning his professional career in bodybuilding.
Heath next travels to Mumbai, India, for the Sheru Classic Asian Grand Prix on Sept. 24.