Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman had set the benchmark in the bodybuilding world for the most number of Mr. Olympia titles. When the former won his last title in 1991, he got the ball rolling, and the latter came closest to beating the record. Both harbor mutual respect, although ending up with completely different lives post-Olympia.
While Haney gracefully retired a year later than he intended to, hanging up his posing trunks and taking off to spend time with his family, Coleman wasn’t as fortunate. His long-term injuries eventually caught up to him, and even after 13 surgeries and various medical procedures, he struggled to walk.
Currently, Coleman is still unstoppable with his zeal and determination towards the sport. Yet, it begs the question of how two champions with the same number of titles end up with completely different consequences. In a conversation with Generation Iron, Haney admits how he truly felt about the situation and the fellow bodybuilder’s fate.
The two eight-time Mr. Olympia title-holders have been friends for quite some time. Haney even recalled how Coleman had tried out his detox program once, expressing his gratitude towards the 59-year-old. Therefore, it hurt him more to have witnessed his friend in pain.
“none of us want to see former athletes, or our comrades, living with pain and surgeries that sort of thing so…yeah man my heart goes out to Ronnie.”
However, Haney understood his successor’s mindset for the championship. Competing in those days was serious business, and the bodybuilders would fight tooth and nail to win the Sandow. He compared it with Roman gladiators and how the situation would get so intense that it almost seemed like war.
“We fought to the death. We were just made that way. We’re not your normal people, we don’t do normal things, we do a lot of abnormal things. So Ronnie took weight training strength to a whole nother level in the field of bodybuilding.”
Eventually, Coleman also had to give in to the injuries that troubled him throughout his bodybuilding training. What started as a hernia in one of his spinal disks turned into multiple fractures and wounds on his hips, neck, and spine. Currently, on his road to recovery, it took a lot before he began feeling better.
Ronnie Coleman is en route to walking again
Having always had a smile on his face throughout all his troubles, Coleman is made of steel at this point. His strength and resilience through multiple medical procedures is a testament to how physically strong he is. Surviving 13 surgeries, he’s now taking baby steps towards recovery.
Recently, he opened up on his visit to the UAE for a specialized physiotherapy session. After some red-light therapy and massage, he got a positive diagnosis with hopes to be walking normally soon. Meanwhile, he never misses a single workout at the gym and sweats it off, inspiring others to never give up.
