by Christian Duque
The Masters Olympia is the absolute highest honor in Masters physique-based sports. As with any other division, anything that has Olympia in it, stands for being the best in the world; however, the Masters O is different in a number of ways. For starters, it hasn’t had a continuous run. That right there makes it stand apart from every other Olympia event. But there’s more to talk about. Unlike the other divisions that all have a home in the Olympia Weekend in Las Vegas, NV, the Masters O is apart from the Open divisions.
And this year, the Masters O was held in Tokyo. When’s the last time the open Olympia left the United States? Even during the pandemic, it moved from Las Vegas to Orlando, with some talk of Atlanta. It didn’t go to Mexico City or Warsaw. The contest as we know it, has been in the U.S. for decades. And that’s because the United States is the most active country for bodybuilding in the world. Why couldn’t they put the Masters O in Philly, Atlanta, or Dallas? Why not put it somewhere tropical like Hawaii, SoCal, or even Destin, FL. Wouldn’t that make more sense? Having the Masters Olympia somewhere where competitors could bring their families and make a vacation? But no. They chose Tokyo. And before that? Romania. Who the hell goes to Romania? Where will it be next, Iceland? I mean come on.
I could go on and on, but at least we have a Masters O. In years past, the event was cast to the side because no one knew how to market it. Thankfully, the current Olympia owner, Jake Wood, and his team are marketing wizards. There’s just so much more that could be and should be done. The Masters need someone to guide them. As with anything, bodybuilding is the flagship division. And that’s where 2025 Masters Mr Olympia Dorian Haywood comes in. If the Masters have a strong ambassador, someone to look up to, we could see the Masters O and the Masters divisions only get better.
Masters competitors run the gamut in terms of age, from 35 to the 60’s and beyond. Whereas some folks fall apart as they get older, many Masters competitors defy the aging process. They look amazing. Many have huge size, others come in with phenomenal condition, and quite a few are able to strike that special look that combines them both. I’m speaking from firsthand experiences. I had the benefit of covering about three or four NPC Masters Nationals where select competitors arrived as amateurs and left as full-fledged IFBB Pro athletes. That’s a pretty huge jump if you think about it. You go from shows where you’re competing with local guys who probably eat well and train, to pro shows where you can face off with some badasses. You never know who you’re going to find on a pro masters stage. You might have big names like our reigning champion Dorian Haywood, maybe Vinny Galanti, maybe Dexter Jackson. You might also face a masters pro out of a faraway land that’s come to scope out the competition. There’s some guys I’ve never heard of and never seen and they just blow me away. Hidden talent exists. Trust me, I’ve seen it. And then of course there’s the phenoms. They come in all ages. Take a guy who’s never competed before and competes on a whim (kind of like when Ronnie Coleman did his first show – for a gym membership!). I’ve also seen guys like that do a couple shows, get a pro card, and go on to clean house. There are a lot of solid masters competitors out there. But very few Masters competitors are familiar with the Masters Olympia.
The Masters O was big when it had a dominant champion. When Dexter won the title, it was largely a one-off. He did it because he could, but he wasn’t a full-fledged Masters competitor. Don Youngblood was a good champion, but we lost him too soon. Who knows, maybe he would have grown the division. Robby Robinson also held the title when he defeated Lou Ferrigno in the 1990’s. That said, the Masters had one great champion that stands out from all others. Every division has one. In Men’s Physique there’s Jeremy Buendia, in 212 there’s Flex Lewis, and in Masters Bodybuilding, that distinction goes to the G.O.A.T. Vince Taylor! To date, his name holds special significance. Vince won five Master Olympia titles and took the open Olympia stage seven times. For half a decade, when you thought of Masters Bodybuilding, Vince Taylor came to mind. And he wasn’t just a guy who won the title over and over again. He flew the flag and he was very visible.
Being visible in Taylor’s day was totally different than today. Back then it was the mid 90’s to the early 2000’s. The internet was present, but nothing like it is today. None of the major social outlets existed. There was no IG, no Tiktok. Facebook didn’t launch until 2006. Being visible didn’t mean being online. It required planes, trains, and automobiles. And the dominant media format then was print. That presented a whole host of problems. Sure, it’s nice flipping through a magazine and keeping them as collectibles, but imagine having to wait a month for news. People nowadays can’t go ten minutes without reaching for their phones. And that’s another phenomenon. When Taylor ruled Masters Bodybuilding, cell phones weren’t a thing like they are today.
So that means promoting today is way easier, right?
Well not so fast! While there wasn’t social media in the old days and cellphones weren’t used the way they are today, being visible was pretty much down to a science. Nowadays, you have to be active on social media, be on podcasts, and do your own livestreams. That’s almost a given. The biggest mistake made, however, is relying too much on social media. At some point, there’s no comparison with being seen at expos, contests, and gyms. There’s only so much you can do with social, just like there’s only so much you do in person. There needs to be a mix and whoever holds the title needs to be a go-getter. This means that the Masters Mr Olympia has to be the kind of individual that doesn’t just sit around waiting for opportunities to fall from the sky. After all, once you’re an Olympia champion, it’s all but expected that you’re set, right? Well, not with Masters Bodybuilding and other Masters divisions. I feel like they still have to prove themselves more. That’s, again, where a strong Masters Mr O could come in and lead the way.
Dorian Haywood could very well be the champion that the division needs. Although his reign may have gotten off to a rough start with the controversy related to the scoring and public outcry for Phil Clahar, Haywood rode out the storm. He also has his fans and people who thought he should have won. Some of these folks include the best judges in the world. While Dorian may have not won the prejudging, the judges who scored the show scored him as winning the finals overwhelmingly. As a result of the finals and the confirmation round, Dorian got the win, but he didn’t really get to celebrate. Usually when a person wins a title, they get to live it up a bit. They get to be on Cloud 9 for days, sometimes weeks. In Haywood’s case it was totally different. He didn’t get to enjoy those first few days as the champ. But that’s ok. Both Dorian and Phil understood that the decision was with the judges. I don’t think either guy lashed out at the other, but it had to have been awkward for both. I feel like Phil and other top Masters O guys can truly grow the sport as well, but for Dorian it’s make or break. And whatever bumps in the road he endured upon being crowned, that’s just part of life. Not everything is peachy keen, but he can use those experiences for seminars and books to come. He took the stage at a contest few were talking about and after he won, he took a title everyone can’t stop talking about. We’re going on four weeks. People are obsessed with the title Dorian won. I see that as a win. It might not be a warm and fuzzy win, but a win’s a win.
Being #1 is great, but in bodybuilding, the division rests on your shoulders. Look what some open Mr O’s have done in just one year (e.g. Brandon Curry, Dexter Jackson, Derek Lunsford). Then compare that to Big Ramy, for example. The guy held the title for two years and didn’t grow squat. After his wins, he’d go back to Egypt and wouldn’t be seen from till a big expo or the Olympia rolled around. Hadi wasn’t much better. Like I said, the great ones stand out, but the bad ones do too.
Only time will tell if Dorian is one of the greats. From some interactions I’ve had with, I feel like he’ll do just fine. I just hope that promoters of Masters amateur and pro shows will reach out to him for guest posing opportunities. And I hope he reaches out to some of them too. I’d hope they would work with other top Masters pros as well, but with regards to growing Masters Building, the reigning Masters Mr O needs to be there. Imagine having a Masters pro show or a Masters amateur show and having your reigning Mr Masters O pose onstage. Dim the lights, work the sound system, throw some fog machines and lights and there you have it. That’s ENTERTAINMENT. It’s also CUSTOMER SERVICE. After the guest posing routine, Dorian could speak. He could also do a seminar. Then there’s the expo circuit. I think the reigning Masters Mr O should be at FIBO, Arnold, BodyPower and the rest. That’s a big part of being visible, as is press.
I haven’t seen many Dorian interviews so I’d be lying if I told you I liked how he presented himself, but his restraint with the whole controversy impressed me. I also got a chance to catch him on RON HARRIS MUSCLE. Being interviewed by a real journalist like Ron Harris is a great way to get press. Dorian held his own very well and will only get better with time. My hope is that all of the up-and-coming podcasts hit him up. And I would hope he’ll reach out to some as well. If he does an interview a month or every other month, that would be pretty cool. In the interim he could IG Live’s on his page or simply post a few times a week on his socials. Between that and traveling the world, we could see some real growth in the Masters divisions. The Masters Mr O needs to be seen! Dorian could also speak to competitors and/or create the kind of interest that would inspire people to want to compete. The more people who compete, the better!
