Franco Colombo

One of the most prominent personalities in the world of bodybuilding was and remains the Italian Franco Colombo. The life of this man is filled with quite interesting events, from boxing to winning the title “Mr. Olympia”, but first things first.

His birth falls on 1941. And this significant event took place on the island of Sardinia in Italy. Franco’s parents were poor people, so it’s no secret that the future bodybuilding star was constantly in need. What lies ahead for him? Unknown. Only two doors were open for him – to start grazing sheep or to join one of the local gangs. The choice is not wide, but what can you do, no one offered him other options. And the dark-haired guy made his choice in favor of the sheep. The fresh air was good for him. During his “service” Franco had to run a lot, which ultimately made him hardy enough. Do not hesitate, this will certainly come in handy in the future. Until then, he’s just a shepherd.

Around the same time, the boy begins to devote all his free time to boxing. He did not even imagine that a victory in a city tournament awaits him, after which he will start boxing professionally and very soon become the champion of Italy.

You might think that his future life will be directly related to boxing. But everything is not so simple – this sport did not bring him much money. In the hope of somehow changing his financial situation, Franco goes to work in West Germany on an automobile assembly line. Here fate prepared Colombo to meet with A. Schwarzneiger. Their relationship quickly grew into a friendship. It was during this period that a young Italian boy became interested in bodybuilding. And thanks to his hard work and perseverance, Franco very soon achieves considerable success in a new sport for himself: with his own weight of 85 kg, he gave out bench press – 245 kg, deadlift – 350 kg, squatting with a barbell – 315 kg. In 1968 he wins the title of European and Italian powerlifting champion. But the main hurry was waiting for Franco in America, where he moved with Arnold.

In the United States, Colombo enters medical college. Naturally, the study is not free, and in order to pay for it, he gets a job at a construction site, do not forget about improving his skill in sports. Franco’s hard work will be rewarded – he becomes “Mr. Universe”. But his goal is to win the title “Mr. Olympia”. In 1975, he fails to make his dream come true, but 1976 was a successful year for him – the prestigious title is in his hands! Just a day later, Franco took part in a competition called “The Strongest Man”. Unfortunately, he injures his knee quite badly, which was the reason for his long absence from bodybuilding.

But Franco Colombo is not the kind of person who stops before difficulties – he develops his own system, according to which he further restores the damaged knee. And in 1981 he again took the podium and became “Mr. Olympia”. After that, Franco decided to “quit” the career of a bodybuilder.

In addition to sports, Franco Colombo acts in films and even wrote several books on the topic of bodybuilding.