Cutler Goes For Third Olympia Win

Jay Cutler appears to be in good position to win his third consecutive Mr. Olympia crown after the completion of the prejudging Friday night at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Cutler, who said on Thursday night that he was about 265 pounds, was in better condition than last year and, although I didn’t see any scoresheets, was probably out in front of Dexter Jackson, Phil Heath, Toney Freeman and Dennis Wolf, not necessarily in that order.

Jackson was in spectacular shape, as always, and Heath, this year’s IRON MAN Pro winner, came in prime time condition and looked to have the inside track for third. Freeman, who won the IM two years ago, really bounced back after finishing fourth at Atlantic City two weeks ago, and will definitely land in the top five.

Wolf, the 5’11”, 260-pounder from Germany, might have brought a bit of an improved package from last year, but it wasn’t enough to battle for the top slot in this exceptional field.

I also thought Silveo Samuel and Melvin Anthony looked terrific.Both guys really nailed their conditioning, and should be in the battle for a top six slot.

It was a somber evening for many of us who knew NPC/IFBB expediter Steve Stone, who suddenly died back stage near the end of the women’s prejudging in the afternoon. Preliminary reports had Stone passing away from a pulmonary embolism, although nothing official had been recorded.

Make sure to check back on the site tonight for “The Experts” video wrap-up of the finals.