Australian bodybuilding champion Josh Lenartowicz can now be added to the list of IFBB Pro League stars that will not be a part of the 2019 Mr.Olympia contest. There had been speculation for several weeks that this was the case, but now it has officially been confirmed.
Lenartowicz joined IFBB Pro League promoter Tony Doherty in a YouTube video and explained that he had found a lump on his head that turned out to be a tumor.
He explained in detail while talking to Doherty. “It’s very rare, the rarest that you can get. And I didn’t think it was in my family but my middle brother, who doesn’t train or anything like that, had it at 18 years old. So we believe it was family related.”
He underwent surgery to have it removed but faced several complications including a brain seizure and fluid in the lungs that ultimately led to him having to be placed in a medically induced coma for over a week.
Once he was awake from that, he shared that he was having trouble walking at first.
“I thought I was standing up and walking but I wasn’t standing upright so that took another couple days before I could walk again.”
Lenartowicz has won four shows as an IFBB Pro including the 2019 Big Man Weekend in Spain earlier this year to qualify for the Olympia. Before this year, he had competed in the Olympia twice in his career, finishing 9th in both 2016 and 2017. He and his wife also celebrated the birth of their son recently.
Lenartowicz is the latest in a group of several stars to not be able to compete in the Olympia which includes current Mr. Olympia Shawn Rhoden, Kai Greene and Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay. Seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath still has not shared officially whether he will be a part of the lineup this year but many don’t expect him to be there. Stay tuned to BarBend for the latest news as the 2019 Olympia weekend approaches.
Featured Image: Instagram/josh_lenartowicz