1973 Mr. Olympia - Winner Arnold Schwarzenegger

The 1973 Mr. Olympia contest is easy to remember because after two years abroad, it was once again held in New York City. The American audience definitely needed to see who is the best bodybuilder at the time, and there wasn't a better way to show that than the Mr. Olympia contest.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music once again got a chance to shine and host the 9th Mr. Olympia competition. What is interesting to note is that this year, the prize money went down from $1000 to only $750, something that stirred up many discussions and made the competitors angry.

Related - The Complete History of Bodybuilding

The list of competitors included the title-holder Arnold Schwarzenegger and the already known Franco Columbu and Serge Nubret. Even though the audience knew these names, they couldn't wait to see them live after three years - just as they couldn't wait to see if their bodies got bigger and more developed.

However, Sergio Oliva was not on the list of bodybuilders to compete, which was a major disappointment to many people at the time. Some say that the reason for this was the previous loss in the 1972 Mr. Olympia in Essen, while others claim that Oliva didn't have the confidence to step on stage and win after two big defeats. What was true is that Arnold was shaken when he set eyes on his physique in Essen - but also relieved when he got to know that he won't be competing against Oliva at the current contest.

Oliva's focus at the time wasn't Mr. Olympia. Instead, he decided to add the Mr. International to his portfolio, just because he could. However, the 1973 Mr. Olympia title went in the hands of Arnold Schwarzenegger, winning it for the fourth time in a row.

&nbsp