Las Vegas, Nevada; Saturday, October 25th   WINNER: RONNIE COLEMAN* (USA) 2) Jay Cutler* (USA) 3) Dexter Jackson* (USA) 4) Dennis James* (USA) 5) Günter Schlierkamp* (Germany) 6) Kevin Levrone* (USA) 7) Darrem Charles (Trinidad and Tobago) 8) Troy Alves (USA) 9) Melvin Anthony (USA) 10) Ernie Taylor (England) 11) Johnnie Jackson (USA) 12) Rodney St. Cloud (USA) 13) Art Atwood (USA) 14) Claude Groulx (Canada) 15) Lee Priest (Australia) 16) Jonathon Davie (Australia)   * Qualifies for 2004 Mr. Olympia contest.

TOP: A six-time victorious Ronnie Coleman ABOVE: Top six posedown LEFT: Surprise Guest, Arnold Schwarzenegger with Joe and Ben Weider

Ronnie Coleman blew away the opposition to win his sixth Mr Olympia and $110,000 in front of 6,000 fans in Las Vegas.
 
The long-awaited triple showdown between Coleman, Jay Cutler and Günter Schlierkamp failed to materialise as the defending champion destroyed all-comers with possibly the most awesome physique ever seen on a bodybuilding stage.
 
Rumours were rife in the run-up to the show that Coleman, stung by his shock defeat to Schlierkamp at last last year's GNC Show of Strength, had cooked up something spectacular.
 
The whispers turned to gasps of amazement the moment Coleman stepped on stage. His gargantuan quads made other Olympians' legs look like twigs while his upper body was much fuller than last year, when he lost too much weight in the final days of dieting and barely scraped home.
 
Cutler, who knew he needed to be at his best ever to challenge, wasn't hard enough while Schlierkamp was visibly distraught when he failed to make the first call-out, which featured Coleman, Cutler, Dexter Jackson and Dennis James. As the comparisons unfolded it soon became clear that rather than battling for the title, the much-hyped German was in a dogfight for the minor places and for once his famous full-beam smile dimmed.
 
Jackson emerged as the most improved competitor and in pre-judging even looked like he might challenge for second place. The Florida resident has added 10lbs of muscle in the last year without sacrificing any of his perfect lines. For the first time he is being talked about as a potential Mr Olympia rather than as a giant slayer with top six potential.
 
James lived up to the predictions by producing his best physique ever to finish behind Jackson in fourth while Schlierkamp, despite howls of derision from the audience, could hardly complain with fifth. His biceps and calves need improving and on this evidence so does his condition.
 
Kevin Levrone, who withdrew with a torn tricep before a late change of mind, rounded off the top six.
 
The judging was fair and the audience lively in what was one of the best Olympia contests of recent years. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the seven-times Mr Olympia and new governor of California, electrified the crowd with a surprise appearance as did British guest poser Simon Robinson, who lost a leg six years ago in a near-fatal car accident.
 
The most high profile absentee was Chris Cormier, who withdrew injured two days before the show. The saddest sight was a bloated Lee Priest, who went from mighty midget to just a midget with dodgy hair.
 
Coleman is now level with Dorian Yates on the all-time Olympia list with six Sandows, one behind Schwarzenegger and two behind Lee Haney. Those who thought that at 38, and after a performance that rubber stamped his greatness, Coleman might be tempted to call it a day were proved wrong when the emotional champion said afterwards that he intended to carry on as long as God willed it.
 
After giving all his main rivals such a comprehensive kicking, it would take a brave man to bet against him overtaking Haney's record. Whether any of the current crop can emerge to mount a serious challenge may depend on who can recover best from the mental mauling that big Ron dished out at the Mandalay Bay resort.
 
Coleman may never be an aesthete's dream but when it comes to mass he has taken the sport on to another level.
 
The undisputed champ summed it up neatly in his victory speech when he said: "I don't care if you keep booing me, just continue to show up."
 
By John Plummer