Big Ramy Becomes the First Egyptian to Win Big at Mr Olympia Bodybuilding Contest

We've always talked about how important it is for Egyptian to flex their stuff on the world stage, but we never expected them to take it so literally! With muscles bigger than our whole bodies, Big Ramy - the imposing alias of Egyptian bodybuilder Mamdouh Elssbiay - more than lives up to his name. While he's clearly one of the burliest men in Egypt, it takes a lot to challenge that title internationally. After years of training, he's finally done it - he took home the gold as the first Egyptian champion at Mr Olympia 2020!

The journey hadn't been easy. After finishing second in 2017, he had to skip out on 2019 due to a shoulder injury. Then, in typical 2020 fashion, this year brought on a mess of challenges of its own, including the loss of his sponsors and a positive Coronavirus test that took him out of commission and cancelled his shows until he was able to beat it into submission.

With this victory, he raised the bar by setting a number of milestones. He's the second Arab Mr Olympia since Lebanese champion Samir Bannout in 1983. He also has the distinction of being the first non-American to bring home the gold since British champion Dorian Yates in 1997, and the 16th man to win since the competition's founding in 1965. With this win, Big Ramy earned himself a USD 400,000 prize, along with priceless prestige.

"I wanna thank all the bodybuilding fans in the world for the love and support I’m receiving," Big Ramy wrote. "I had many setbacks this year with a show canceled due to corona, and a positive test... but all that mattered is I kept working hard for that dream to make my fans happy. LOVE YOU ALL."