Samir Bannout
| Samir Bannout | |
|---|---|
| — Bodybuilder — | |
Samir Bannout
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| Personal info | |
| Born |
November 7, 1955 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Height | 170 cm |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Professional career | |
| Pro-debut | Mr. Universe, 1974 |
| Best win | IFBB Mr. Olympia, 1983 |
| Predecessor | Chris Dickerson |
| Successor | Lee Haney |
| Active | Retired 1996 |
Samir Bannout (Arabic: سمير بنوت, born November 7, 1955 in Beirut, Lebanon) is an IFBB professional bodybuilder.
Known as "the Lion of Lebanon", Samir Bannout won the Mr. Olympia title in 1983. At that time, only six men had held this most prestigious title since the contest began in 1965. Many of them, obviously, held the title for several years, Bannout won it just once, a distinction shared with Chris Dickerson (1982) and Dexter Jackson (2008). Samir has appeared on the covers of many fitness and bodybuilding publications, including Strength and Health, MuscleMag International, Muscle Digest, Flex, Muscle Training Illustrated, Muscle and Fitness, Muscle Up, IronMan and Muscular Development magazines.
Samir Bannout first moved to Detroit, Michigan, in the United States. He competed at the amateur level and achieved IFBB pro status by winning his light-heavyweight class at the 1979 IFBB World Amateur Championships. By this time Samir had already relocated to Santa Monica, California. Bannout took 4th place at the 1982 Mr. Olympia contest and returned the following year to take home the title in 1983. The contest was held in Munich, Germany that year and the trophy awarded him is called a "Sandow" for Eugen Sandow. Bannout weighed 196 lbs. for his win, the last Mr. Olympia to weigh under 200 lbs. His win ended the "aesthetics" era for the Mr. Olympia contest which started with Frank Zane winning in 1977 and reverted back to emphasizing increased mass and size starting with Lee Haney winning in 1984.
The extreme muscular definition that Bannout achieved in his lower back region helped to shape "Lebanon Cedar" when referring the shape made visible during a back pose on the competition stage.
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