Who was bodybuilder Sergio Oliva?
KNOWN as "The Myth", Sergio Oliva is considered as one of the greatest ever bodybuilders due to his "unbelievable" physique.
Most notable for his legendary proportions and muscle mass, Sergio was crowned the inaugural Mr. Olympia and labelled a bodybuilding machine.
Who was Sergio Oliva?
Sergio Oliva was a Cuban-American bodybuilder who was best known for winning the IFBB Mr. Olympia title three years in a row and the only person to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Born on July 4, 1941, in Pimar del Rio, Cuba, Sergio began bodybuilding as a teenager and was able to perform clean & jerks in excess of 400 pounds after just a year of training.
This eventually caught the attention of Cuban officials, who selected him for the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games in Jamaica.
While there, Sergio snuck to the American consulate and demanded and received political asylum, allowing him to move to Chicago, Illinois and work at a local steel mill.
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He eventually served as a police officer for more than 25 years, while competing as a bodybuilder and winning 20 1st place titles.
How big was Sergio Oliva?
Sergio's physique was so big that he became known as "The Myth" because everyone who saw him at the 1967 Montreal World’s Fair said he was “just unbelievable”.
That year, he won the prestigious Mr. Olympia contest to make him the undisputed world champion of bodybuilding, before going on to win the next two to make it a treble.
That included beating Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1969, who recalled their first encounter in his 1977 autobiography.
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Arnold said: "Then for the first time, I saw Sergio Oliva in person. I understood why they called him the Myth. It was as jarring as if I'd walked into a wall.
"He destroyed me. He was so huge, he was so fantastic, there was no way I could even think of beating him. I admitted my defeat and felt some of my pumps go away."
How did Sergio Oliva die?
Sergio died on November 12, 2021 at the age of 71 at his home in Chicago, as a result of apparent kidney failure.
It was reported that he was already ill at the time and had been under dialysis treatment prior to his death.
He was found unresponsive by a family member and rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois.
However, "The Myth" was pronounced dead just a short while after.
It meant that he became the first Mr. Olympia to have died, before Larry Scott (2014), Franco Columbu (2019), Shawn Rhoden (2021) and Chris Dickerson (2021).
Did Sergio Oliva have any children?
"The Myth" is survived by his son Sergio Oliva Jr.
The 38-year-old, born on October 20, 1984, followed in his father's footsteps by also becoming a professional bodybuilder.
The IFBB Pro bodybuilder won the NPC Nationals bodybuilding competition in 2015 and has since competed on Mr. Olympia.
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His mother is Arleen Garrett, the former wife of Sergio following their split in 2012.
In 1986, Sergio survived being accidentally shot by his then-wife Arleen during an argument, in which he sustained five bullet wounds to his abdomen.
