DU Alum Phil Heath Wins Mr Olympia Again

University of Denver basketball player Phil Heath won his third Mr. Olympia title on Saturday evening in what would be one the greatest Mr. Olympia competitions in the history of the sport.

The 49th edition of the contest had three Mr. Olympia winners on the stage competing against each other for the coveted prize (Phil Heath, Dexter Jackson and Jay Cutler). In the end Phil Heath walked away with the Sandow trophy and a cheque for $250,000. Phil accepted his award with a tribute to his wife, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year.

National Publicity Rolls In For Phil Heath

(above) DU Alum Phil Heath was spotted on AOL.com today

The nationwide publicity is rolling in for DU Alum Phil Heath who was recently crowned 2011 Mr. Olmypia.  AOL.com featured Phil in his DU uniform today, while Sporting News and Bleacher Report had articles about him this week.

Thanks to a tip from a loyal reader who heard Phil talking about DU on a local radio program, LetsGoDU was the first online source to post a photo of Phil from his playing days at DU.  Since that time, the article and photo has received thousand of visits from all over the world.

DU Alumnus Wins 2011 Mr. Olympia

(above) DU Alum Phil Heath is the 2011 Mr. Olympia

Phil Heath at DU

The Mr. Olympia 2011 results are official from Las Vegas and former Universiy of Denver basketball player Phil Heath defeated longtime champion, Jay Cutler.

Heath showed his impressive physique that netted him the $200,000 first prize. He's the 13th winner of Mr. Olympia. Cutler was the winner in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. Dexter Jackson claimed the title in 2008. Other Mr. Olympia winners include big names like Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger in the early to mid '70s.

Phil Heath, age 31, was emotional after his big win, with his friend Jay Cutler happy to see his friend and rival victorious. Heath is a former University of Denver basketball player, who started his bodybuilding career in 2002.

DU Alum Phil Heath Is World Class Bodybuilder

(above) Former DU point guard Phil Heath is one of the world's top bodybuilders

Phil Heath's Website

Its not everyday that a former college basketball player ends up finishing second in the worlds biggest bodybuilding contest. But that's exactly what happened to DU alum and basketball player Phil Heath at the 2010 Mr. Olympia contest.

Nicknamed "The Gift", Heath played basketball for the University of Denver (1998-2002) as a point guard before turning to bodybuilding after college. His hard work paid off when he won the overall title at the 2005 NPC USA Championships and earned the right to compete as an IFBB Pro. "The Gift" immediately made a splash in the IFBB, winning his first two pro events in 2006, which were The Colorado Pro Championships and The New York Pro Championship.

Phil placed fifth at the 2007 Arnold Classic, although fans and critics had him as high as 3rd place. Nonetheless, it qualified him to compete in the 2007 Mr. Olympia contest. Heath decided not to compete at the contest, stating that he needed more time to improve in order to be competitive.

This proved to be a good move, as he ended up winning the 2008 Iron Man show and placed second to Dexter Jackson at the 2008 Arnold Classic. Phil finished 3rd in his Mr. Olympia debut in 2008, and became the first rookie to place in the top 3 since Kevin Levrone in 1992 finishing second and Flex Wheeler in 1993. He was a heavy favorite for the 2009 Mr. Olympia title but placed 5th. Phil caught a stomach virus 24 hours before the Friday pre-judging and caused him to come in to the Olympia's first day roughly 10 pounds lighter than he had planned. Most recently, Phil took second place at the 2010 Mr. Olympia contest, placing second to Jay Cutler.