Not everybody can compare to Arnold Schwarzenegger when it comes to the feats of bodybuilding. His other chosen professions, be it politics or Hollywood, have been lesser accomplishments when held for comparison against his earliest craft. The lasting and permanent impression that the Austrian Oak left thus becomes a legacy in its own right and it was Schwarzenegger, who, for better or worse, brought bodybuilding to the stage of infamy, popularity, and accessibility it celebrates today.
Arnold Schwarzenegger – The First of His Kind
Despite what his accomplishments were at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger stands out because of how much he contributed to the art – something that is unquantifiable in the number of trophies or competitions won. The seven-time consecutive winner of the title of Mr. Olympia, the highest honor that can be bestowed in bodybuilding, now leaves behind a more quantifiable legacy in the form of the Arnold Sports Festival, the second most prestigious title in the realm of men’s professional bodybuilding and the highest in women’s.
But it is not simply what Schwarzenegger leaves behind that creates him into an immortalized figure for the world. The myths and legends are born not out of oral history but evidence in the form of pictures and records – proofs of the Austrian’s ability to achieve more than what was set as the bar of expectations and the limitations of the sport. And in that, his name becomes immortal, despite the contributions of John Milius and James Cameron, despite his affiliations with the Kennedy family, and despite being a first-generation immigrant with a father who fought for the Nazis, and who went to assume office under the government of America.
Ronnie Coleman Pays Tribute to Arnold Schwarzenegger
The unquantifiable nature of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s contributions pays off incredibly well when younger generations and winners of more Olympia titles than the Austrian himself begin to count themselves a rank above the legacy-maker. The transient and momentary feeling of victory is replaced by the knowledge that despite winning more titles and trophies, nobody will come close to scratching the surface of myths and legends that shroud Arnold Schwarzenegger simply by order of merit alone. Someone only attempting to surpass and one-up the actor will not become a legend but simply another name on the scoreboard. And Ronnie Coleman seemingly knows it too.
Despite winning 8 Mr. Olympia titles, Ronnie Coleman has decidedly remained humble when it comes to the subject of the Olympia alum. In an interview with Patrick Bet-David, the bodybuilder claimed:
“Well, I’m in a lot better condition but Arnold got so big and so much shape, he’s got a greater shape. Arnold has been by far the best bodybuilder ever. Ain’t nobody ever touching that. Look at that shape. Look at that chest. Nobody got that, even in the day. He got the biggest chest ever. I look like a little boy standing next to him.”
That, in itself, is the highest level of compliment that can come from a fellow bodybuilder who takes just as much appreciation in the sport as Schwarzenegger himself. Coleman gravitated toward the sport for pretty much the same reasons that the Austrian did – the love of the game. However, given how far his enthusiasm has taken him, his acknowledgment and nod to the greatest of all time is a sincere and authentic compliment – something rare and hard to come by.
Source: Patrick Bet-David
