Ronnie Coleman has been one of the greatest bodybuilders throughout history. He’s the only athlete, other than Lee Haney, to win eight Mr. Olympia titles in a row. His achievements, journey, and passion for bodybuilding have inspired many. However, there was one bodybuilder who beat him in multiple competitions despite being smaller in size.
5’4 tall Lee Priest was an Australian bodybuilder who packed a punch at various championships. In 1997, when he met Coleman at the Iron Man championship, he was in his prime. On the other hand, the American had just entered the field, trying to catch up to the champions at the time. Their interaction back then and at the next few competitions didn’t turn out as well as Coleman expected.
During a recent panel discussion at the Arnold Classic 2024, the eight-time Mr. Olympia recalled how he embarrassingly lost to Priest multiple times throughout his career. These losses eventually led to him considering quitting the sport altogether. While he persevered, and the rest is history, he always remembered the Australian to be one of the unexpected terrors he faced on stage.
Coleman went down memory lane, recalling the Iron Man championship from 1997. He admitted that his first impression of Priest wasn’t great. Back then, he was still a newcomer, trying to get invites to competitions. While he was larger, Priest ultimately ended up smoking him at their first face-off.
“I went to the Iron Man, my first time ever doing it. I placed okay but I wasn’t real happy about the people that placed in front of me. One of them being a short guy, real short, but he’s a good bodybuilder…he’s about 5’1 maybe about 200 lbs and I’m 5’11!”
Priest then went on to beat Coleman at another championship in the same year. This brought down his motivation to do better, and he considered an early retirement. However, his then-girlfriend stopped him from making a rash decision.
“I look at my girlfriend, and I tell her…’ you know what? I’m done with this bodybuilding thing. I don’t need this you know? This is not really meant for me…And she looked at me and she said ‘boy shut up!'”
Coleman realized that one of the perks of being in bodybuilding was his free gym membership. If he quit, he would lose that. That’s why, despite adversities, he continued his full-time job for a long time and never let go of the gym after retirement.
Ronnie Coleman brings the old and young under the same roof
His first Olympia win was in 1998, and he retired in 2006. Yet, Coleman’s name always echoes in gyms and fitness centers for his status as a GOAT. No matter how young or old one was, their respect for him never faded. Recently, the launch of a new Iron Forge gym witnessed this unfold when they called in Coleman as their guest.
A long line of young fitness enthusiasts cheered on loud when they saw their idol waiting to greet them. Coleman even admitted later that he was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and did not expect to meet so many people. Fans around the world appreciated his contributions to bringing the young and old together for the sole purpose of celebrating fitness.
