Sergio Oliva, “The Myth”

Bodybuilding is a fairly controversial sport : we like it or we don't like it.
There is no such thing as a happy medium! Either some people see in bodybuilders only people stuffed with steroids flaunting their muscles ready to explode while others admire the perfect definition of the visible muscles, the height of the sublime.

So for bodybuilding enthusiasts: if admiring bodybuilders during their show remains captivating, discovering their journey is even more fascinating or even confusing. Effectively, behind an imposing mass or extremely cut muscles, very often uneven paths are revealed, accompanied by unfailing courage and strong determination.

Sergio Oliva, famous Cuban bodybuilder, was by no means called "the myth" for nothing. Under his robust musculature, Sergio Oliva's path was far from smooth and courage, strength and even daring, it took him to enter the legend of the epic of Bodybuilding.

An adolescence under the sky of the Cuban revolution:

Sergio Oliva was born in Havana (Cuba) on July 4, 1941. From an early age, Sergio Oliva accompanied his father in the sugar cane fields. When he was 16, his father wanted him to join Batista's army. Despite the absence of a birth certificate for young Sergio, the head of recruitment considers him mature enough to join the armed struggle against communism.

Sergio Oliva will therefore fight against the regime of Fidel Castro. However, he and his compatriots will lose the war against Castro. Witnessing the changes in his country, Sergio then begins to wander on the beach. Sign of fate or pure chance, in his wandering he will cross the path of a weightlifter who will invite him to his training room. There, he discovers a world made of mutual aid and fraternity during training. These trainings also represent the surpassing of oneself, going always further in the search for one's own limits. Sergio Oliva will find himself in harmony with the moral values ​​of the discipline and will also see in it a possible escape from his country.

From this moment, Sergio Oliva gives his all in training. Very quickly, he will even be noticed and distinguished by the importance of the weights he lifts with agility.

From Cuban competitions to the Jamaican loophole:

In a year of training, the young Sergio Oliva has managed to develop considerable strength, endurance and musculature. He then tried the Cuban National Weightlifting Championship in 1962. There, more than pleasing result sincehe comes second in the competition, behind Alberto Rey Games Hernandez.

Second sign of fate: the same year, in 1962, the championship winner, Alberto Rey Games Hernandez was injured and therefore could no longer compete in Jamaica, at the Central American and Caribbean Games. Sergio Oliva will then be chosen to replace him. The latter quickly understands that this opportunity may represent for him his passport to freedom.

Arrived in Kingston, Jamaica, Oliva takes advantage of a moment of inattention by the guards, to escape their vigilance. His fate is then being played out: Sergio Oliva starts running at a phenomenal speed towards the American Consulate. The bet paid off, he pushes the doors of the consulate, completely out of breath and requests political asylum. His daring and his will will set an example for 65 other Cuban nationals, who follow suit.   

His American revelation:

Obtaining political asylum in America represents for Sergio Oliva and the Cuban weightlifting team the realization of their freedom.

Sergio Oliva therefore arrives for the first time on American soil in Florida, in Miami. More than motivated, he initially accepted odd jobs to survive: television repairman, unloading a truck.

Once having made his mark, Sergio Oliva decides to move to Chicago, Illinois in 1963. In this new environment, Sergio works both in a local steel mill as well as in the Christian association YMCA Duncan. On his way, Sergio will meet a local figure of Bodybuilding: Bob gajda (Former Mr. America). Bob Gajda immediately sees Sergio in all of his physical potential. He will therefore take it under his responsibility and introduce him to bodybuilding.

Working 12 hours a day, Sergio still finds the courage to practice strength training between 2 and 3 hours, every evening. Starting bodybuilding, Sergio Oliva quickly increases his muscle volume. Only a few months later, he even obtained his first title: M. Chicagoland. Efforts always pay off!

Encouraged by this first trophy and the remarks on his exemplary physique, Sergio Oliva therefore embarks on competitions, year after year.

From this course of competition, spanning from 1963 to 1985, a course filled with vitality and zeal, Sergio won a total of 20 titles, positioning him winner. Thanks to his audacity and rigorous training, Sergio becomes the first black bodybuilder to acquire the titles of Mr America, Mr World, Mr International, Mr Univers and Mr Olympia. He will also win the title of champion of Mr. Olympia three times (in 1967, 1968 and 1969). Nicknamed "The Myth", he will be the only one to successfully beat Arnold Schwarzenegger in the contest of Mr. Olympia. It is even said that Sergio Oliva had the ability to numb his opponents. He inspired both reverence and fear for some of them. On stage, he was incredibly massive. Probably the most massive of his generation, while keeping a fairly slim waist.

He will end his competition career in 1985 tragically since under the influence of anger, his wife will shoot him 5 bullets in the abdomen. He will get out of it, but will remain affected.

Through its history, with his trials and its audacity to believe in its ability to succeed, Sergio Oliva has risen to the legend of Bodybuilding. His journey reminds us of the importance of not letting go (both in daily life and in training sessions).The path is often long, but the path builds character, as Bodybuilding shapes the body.

Sergio Oliva passed away on November 12, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois, with kidney failure. But “The Myth” continues to accompany us, as a symbol of perseverance.