IFBB Pro League bodybuilder Mamdouh Elssbiay, also known as “Big Ramy”, is one of the biggest competitors in his sport, but has yet to qualify for the 2020 Mr. Olympia contest. He hopes to rectify that next month because he has formally announced that he will return to the competitive stage by entering the 2020 Europa Pro contest on October 11th in Alicante, Spain.
The announcement was first made by Elssbiay himself on the Dragon Pharma YouTube channel.
“I need to confirm that to all my fans that I will be back onstage in October 11th, and I have been working hard for that. And I need to thank all of my fans for supporting and believing in me, and thanks for that.”
His last contest was the 2020 Arnold Classic, where he finished in 3rd place behind champion William Bonac and runner-up Dexter Jackson. He had yet to enter any other contest due to initially deciding to take time off, but he was also unable to compete in contests due to the season schedule changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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His last appearance on the Olympia stage was in 2018 where he finished in 6th place. He didn’t compete in 2019. As of this writing, the 36 year old is currently sitting in 3rd position on the Olympia scoring system with 9 points behind leader Maxx Charles (11) and Lukas Osladil (10).
While that currently puts him in position to qualify for the big show in Las Vegas, other competitors could leapfrog past him if he didn’t compete again. Of course, if he wins in Spain, then he earns an automatic qualification and would be removed from the non-winners list completely. His highest placing at the Olympia was second in 2017 to champion Phil Heath.
Should Elssbiay qualify for the Mr. Olympia contest, he would add his name to a lineup that is already being considered one of the deepest groups in the contest’s 55 year history. Aside from defending champion Brandon Curry and Arnold Classic champion William Bonac, former champions Phil Heath and Dexter Jackson are set to take part. It is announced to be Jackson’s final contest.
Seven-time 212 Olympia Showdown winner James “Flex” Lewis is also scheduled to make his Olympia debut in the Open division lineup.
Featured Image: Instagram/big_ramy