What did Arnold Schwarzenegger do to win Mr. Olympia in 1980?

Arnold Schwarzenegger is regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, alongside Ronnie Coleman. He has won the Mr. Olympia title, the most important event in bodybuilding, seven times.

His first attempt for Mr. Olympia failed in 1969 when he lost to three-time champion Sergio Olivia. However, he returned stronger the next year to win his first ever Mr. Olympia title in 1970. Notably, he became the youngest Mr. Olympia at 23, a record still held by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He successively defended his title between 1971-1974 but retired from professional bodybuilding after the 1975 competition. However, after five years, Schwarzenegger decided to make a comeback. However, he did not disclose his intention to compete once again.

At the time, he was training for his movie role in Canon, for which he got into good shape. He did so by running, horseback riding, and sword training. The Mr. Olympia event was scheduled for October 4 in Sydney, Australia. Schwarzenegger was hired to provide commentary for CBS Sports.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger cemented history with his seventh Mr. Olympia title

In California, Schwarzenegger trained twice daily, alternating between training partners and friends. Just one day before the competition, he announced that he was making a comeback to the event.

This shocked everyone, and there were mixed reactions to his comeback. Critics said he should register like everybody else at least one month before the event.

While some competitors were furious, others expressed pity, thinking that Arnold Schwarzenegger would lose. Mike Mentzer was so furious with the bodybuilder that he tried to attack him at the conference.

A meeting was held with all the contestants, and eventually, Schwarzenegger was allowed to compete in the event. Due to the meeting, the judging was one hour late, and the audience was getting impatient. New rules regarding judging were put in place.

The audience roared as 16 competitors marched onto the stage at the Sydney Opera House after hearing Arnold Schwarzenegger's name. The legendary Austrian, who won six Mr. Olympia titles, was back onstage competing for another.

He did not disappoint in his ability to attract the attention of the audience and the judges with his strong charisma. Arnold Schwarzenegger hit all his poses confidently, and the audience applauded them. However, some of his body parts were lacking in size and development.

In comparison poses, Schwarzenegger stood out from his competitors due to his height and smile. When the results were announced, he received the highest score (99) in the first round.

In the second round, he scored a total of 97. In the last free-posting round, Arnold Schwarzenegger scored 96 to fixate the title to name with a total score of 295. He was followed by Frank Zane (291) and Chris Dickerson (290).

Many criticized the controversial decision as fellow competitors felt that the lack of muscle mass, especially in his thighs and conditioning, should not be allowed to win against a competitive lineup that year. Due to his close relations with the show's promoters and his status, many reasoned Arnold Schwarzenegger's victory was political.

It especially affected Mike Mentzer, who felt cheated and retired from bodybuilding after the 1980 Mr. Olympia contest. The event is the most exciting and controversial bodybuilding competition in the history of the sport, and it's still debated on various forums globally.