Arnold Schwarzenegger was well known to both the general public and professional bodybuilders. And Oliva Sergio did not have high popularity. He was a legend only among those who were fond of bodybuilding on a professional level. Most athletes considered him the best bodybuilder in the world. In this article we will present a brief biography of the athlete.
Army and Sports
Sergio Oliva (photo below) was born in Cuba in 1941. From the age of 12, the boy worked on a sugar plantation in Guanabacoa. Then his father advised Sergio to join the army of Fulgencio Batista. The young man did not have a birth certificate, but the recruiting officer believed Oliva Sr. when he announced his son’s desire to fight communism, despite his young age. However, this venture was unsuccessful. After the victory of Fidel Castro, the hero of this article left the army.
Weightlifting is Sergio Oliva's next hobby. Strength indicators of a young man reached impressive figures for six months. He did a push with a weight of 136 kilograms and pulled three sets of 453 kilograms.
Competitions
In 1962, Oliva Sergio took part in the Cuban weightlifting championship and took second place there. Later, Alberto Hernandez, who won the tournament, was injured, and the hero of this article had to represent the country in the Caribbean. During the trip, Oliva did an unexpected maneuver. Sitting in the hotel room, he waited until the guard weakened his attention, and ran from all legs to the American Embassy. There Sergio sought political asylum. Soon, another 65 Cubans did the same thing - the whole team of weightlifters and the guard that went over to them.
Life in America
Miami became the new home of the hero of this article. There Oliva Sergio made a living repairing TVs. In 1963, the Cuban moved to Chicago. In the new city, Sergio got a job in a steel mill. Despite the fact that Oliva's working day lasted from 10 to 12 hours, he managed to allocate 2-3 hours of time to the gym. Soon, a talented newcomer was noticed by Bob Gudge - one of the best local bodybuilders. He took Sergio under his care. As expected, hard work bore fruit. Oliva's muscles grew like yeast. In the district began to talk about the Cuban strongman, showing incredible results.
Body-building
The first competition in this discipline Oliva Sergio won in 1963. A year later, the Cuban won the title "Mr. Illinois." He also took part in the Mr. America tournament, but Sergio managed to win there only in 1966. Then Oliva joined the IFBB and Mr. Universe obeyed him. And in 1967 Sergio won the most prestigious tournament - Olympia.
Victory over the Schwarzenegger
The next two years, Oliva again took away with him a statue of Sandov. His victory in 1969 was especially noteworthy, because Sergio defeated Schwarzenegger himself. In his autobiography, Arnold recalled that Oliva simply “destroyed” him on stage. The future actor and politician took revenge a year later. Although the advantage in points was minimal. Sergio was not able to "recoup." In 1970 and 1972, Arnold was again in the first place of the podium. Many considered this decision to be dishonest judging, since Oliva was at the peak of form and deserved only victory.
Care and Return
In 1973, Sergio almost won the Mr. International tournament, but he was disqualified at the end of the competition. After that, the Cuban completely terminated the contract with the IFBB and began cooperation with other federations. Oliva's return came twelve years later. In 1984, the athlete entered the scene of the Mr. Olympia competition, but was only the eighth. Sergio was in great shape and many thought the refereeing was not quite adequate. A year later, he made another attempt, but again took eighth place. And again, most viewers considered that the Cuban was worthy of the Sandov figurine, because Oliva looked just perfect. But the judges were of a different opinion.
Reasons for defeat
Despite the wide popularity of Arnold Schwarzenegger among the general public, all professional athletes and bodybuilding experts of that time recognized Oliva as an unsurpassed athlete. Of course, his results were due to superior genetics. But Sergio’s body inherited from his parents was perfected by regular training. Now it’s hard to find an athlete who would be so demanding and ruthless to himself. Therefore, Oliva’s defeats are not related to his sportswear, which was considered impeccable. Just a Cuban ruined relations with the IFBB federation. And she, in turn, directly influenced the "recognition" of the bodybuilder among the general public. Nevertheless, this does not detract from the talents of the hero of this article.
Death
Oliva Sergio, whose biography was presented above, died in Chicago in 2012. The likely cause of his death was renal failure. Sergio was 71 years old. He is the first deceased holder of the title “Mr. Olympia”.