Sergio Oliva
| Sergio Oliva | |
|---|---|
| — Bodybuilder — | |
Sergio "The Myth" Oliva
|
|
| Personal info | |
| Nickname | The Myth |
| Born |
July 4, 1941 Cuba |
| Died | November 12, 2012 (aged 71) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Professional career | |
| Pro-debut | 1966 Mr. World, 1966 |
| Best win | IFBB Mr. Olympia 1967-1969, three consecutive times, 1968 uncontested and unchallenged |
| Predecessor | Larry Scott |
| Successor | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| Active | 1962 - 1985 |
Sergio Oliva (July 4, 1941 – November 12, 2012) was a Cuban bodybuilder known as "The Myth". This sobriquet was arguably given to him by bodybuilder/writer Rick Wayne but Oliva himself has doubted this claim. Supposedly Wayne had begun calling Oliva "The Myth" (because everyone who saw him at the 1967 Montreal World's Fair said he was "Just unbelievable").
Oliva was born in Cuba on July 4, 1941. At 12, he worked with his father in the sugar cane fields of Guanabacoa. When Oliva was 16, his father suggested that he enlist in Fulgencio Batista's army. In the absence of a birth certificate, the recruiting officer took the senior Oliva's word that his son was old enough to enlist in the fight against communism.
After losing the war to Fidel Castro, Oliva stayed local and took to hanging out at the beach. There, he met a fellow sun worshipper, who invited him to the local weightlifting club. After just six months of training Oliva was doing clean and jerks with over 300 lb and totaling 1000 lb in the three Olympic lifts at a bodyweight of 195 lb, considered a middle-heavyweight.
In 1962, the National Weightlifting Championship for Cuba was won by Alberto Rey Games Hernandez; Sergio Oliva took second place. Because Games received an injury, Oliva was chosen to represent Cuba at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games hosted in Kingston, Jamaica.
During his stay in Jamaica, Oliva sneaked out of his quarters while the guards were distracted. He ran at top speed until he was safely inside the American consulate. Arriving breathlessly, he demanded and received political asylum. Soon, 65 other Cuban nationals followed him, including Castro's entire weightlifting team and their security guards. Soon afterward, Oliva was living in Miami, Florida, working as a TV repairman.
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Wikipedia