Samir Bannut. The story of Mr. Olympia.

Samir Bannut is one of the preeminent athletes in the world of bodybuilding, he is “Mr. Olympia”.

Samir Bannut was born on November 7, 1955 in the city of Beirut, Lebanon. When Samir turned 14, he organized a mini-gym right in his house, in which he began to train hard. Hard work did not make him wait long for the result – the boy’s muscles began to increase noticeably, which further inspired him and consolidated his love for bodybuilding. After 6 months of grueling training, Samir wins the first tournament in his life – the Lebanese Junior Championships. Not surprisingly, the guy’s desire to continue practicing and achieve even greater results has increased significantly.

Soon, the athlete moves from Lebanon to the United States, where he begins to take part in various competitions. But so far his hobby is still of an amateur nature.

In 1974, at the “Mr. Universe” championship, Samir took 7th place in the middle weight category. This was his debut.

In 1979, a very significant event in the life of an athlete took place in Montreal – after an unconditional victory in an amateur bodybuilding tournament in light heavyweight, he becomes a professional.

Apparently, blinded by a brilliant victory, Samir relaxes a little and participation in the next competitions does not bring him any outstanding results. For example, at the tournament “Mr. Olympia-1980” he will have to “go far” from the top three athletes, as much as 15th place.

Apparently, this made him very angry. And he begins to train hard. Progress was visible, as they say on the face – in 1981 at the tournament “Mr. Olympia” he took 9th place, in 1982 – 2nd place, and in 1983 he became a full winner.

After 2 years, he is the winner of the World Bodybuilding Association (WABBA). In 1986, history repeats itself – he again becomes the best.

After such victories, Samir no longer managed to win high awards. And in 1996 he retires from professional sports.

Throughout his 17-year sports career, the outstanding athlete has often been featured on the covers of popular magazines: Strength and Health, Flex, Muscle and Fitness, MuscleMag International and many, many others.

In 2002, another significant event took place in the life of an athlete – he was awarded a place of honor in the hall of fame of the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB).

Today Samir Bannut lives with his wife and children in Los Angeles.