Champions - Ronnie Coleman

Ronnie flexes, Hobart ripples

BY David Stockdale
The Mercury

If you reckon Arnie Schwarzenegger has huge pecs and abs, wait till you see Ronnie Coleman.

Coleman and his Hollywood-style entourage blew into Hobart yesterday to unveil physique that has earned him eight world bodybuilding titles, eclipsing Schwarzenegger’s record of seven.

Moonah’s Xtreme Physique Gymnasium was packed yesterday with adoring fellow iron pumpers who watched him give his bulging muscles a workout.

Gym co-owner Wayne Howlett even had an artist paint Coleman’s likeness on the bonnet of his 1980 Pontiac Trans-Am which was there for all to see.

A Dinner was held last night at Laetare Gardens in honour of Coleman, with fans paying $150 a head to be in the presence of the great man.

Sell-out shows around the world have made him a multi-millionaire and he drives a Bentley Continental.

Coleman even has his own spruiker travelling with him; the professional body builder director for Australia Tony Doherty, to make sure everybody knows how good his man really is.

“Ronnie weighs 140kg, stands at 180cm and is the greatest bodybuilder to ever walk the planet,”

Doherty said with the flourish of a hand.

“He squats 800 pounds, dead-lifts over 800 and does dumbbell incline presses with 200 pounds which has never before been done by a bodybuilder.”

The softly-spoken Coleman is of a humbler nature.

“I began as a policeman in Arlington Texas, where a friend asked me if I worked out at a gym,”

he said.

“I said no and the owner arranged free membership for me and that helped start me off.”

Tasmania now has it own bodybuilding champion Darran Petty, who is off to Germany next June to compete in the world titles after recently winning Mr Australia and Mr Tasmania titles.