health and fitness

7-Time 212 Mr. Olympia Champion James “Flex” Lewis Forced to Withdraw from 2020 Mr. Olympia

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BOCA RATON, Fla. (PRWEB)

To his own disappointment and that of his countless fans around the world, IFBB Pro League athlete and 212 Mr. Olympia GOAT Flex Lewis announced Friday that he will not compete in the 2020 Mr. Olympia. The decision was made in conjunction with Flex’s team of sports medicine doctors, who deemed his shoulder injury too deleterious to compete. Perpetual front runner that he is, Flex by his own admission agonized over the dilemma.

“Since doing my first show at 19 years old, bodybuilding has been my life,” said Flex. “So making this decision with my team was not easy. I fought it hard, and still struggle with it, but I am now mentally focused on the rehab process. Every bodybuilder’s dream is to become Mr. Olympia; I have achieved this feat in the 212 class not just once but seven times over. After stepping away from the 212 class, the goal shifted to becoming the first ever two-division “Champ Champ” – a feat never achieved in this sport. I truly believe I was on course to showcase something special. Unfortunately, it will not happen this year.”

Mr. Olympia, dubbed the “Super Bowl of bodybuilding,” is typically held each September in Las Vegas. Per COVID, this year’s competition was rescheduled to December. Flex Lewis has been competing actively since 2008, winning the 212-pound division an unprecedented 7 consecutive times. In 2018, Flex retired from the 212 Olympia division and announced that he would be taking on all comers in 2020’s Open Class. Those plans now derailed, Flex moves forward with the Miami Orthopedic & Sports Medicine team in his corner. They’re game planning an aggressive rehabilitation program along with stem cell treatment from BioXcellerator.

Lewis continued, “The decision not to compete was made easier when my medical team stressed that if I continued to train I could do even more damage, which could have threatened or possibly ended my career. Pushing through pain is something athletes are accustomed to; I have hidden a lot of injuries throughout the years, as I had to this point. But I have to come to terms with reality. Now my entire focus is on my health and rehabbing my injuries to return a bigger, better bodybuilder than ever before.”

This tempestuous news comes with it a silver lining: Expect to hear from Flex in the coming weeks as he documents his road to recovery. You’ll follow Flex from the therapy table all the way to the 2021 Mr. Olympia stage as he strives to do the unthinkable—become the first ever two-division champion in both the 212 lbs. and Open Class ranks. We wish Flex a speedy recovery and look forward to the show -the gun show- in 2021.

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