Mamdouh Elssbiay, famously known as Big Ramy was crowned champion of IFBB Mr. Olympia for two consecutive years. After winning the competition in 2020 and 2021, Ramy finished in a shocking 5th place last weekend in Vegas. The Egyptian bodybuilder was recently in discussion with Smilodox to speak about his journey as a strength athlete.

As he recalled memories from his formative years, the 36-year-old mentioned how his friends reacted, when he told them about his dreams to pursue bodybuilding. 

Big Ramy spoke about the initial days of his journey as a bodybuilder

Big Ramy saw glory twice in a row at the sport’s most prestigious stage. This success that made him a popular name in the industry came after years of training. In his interview, Ramy narrates an incident that occurred when he was only 26 years old. Apparently, he told his friends about his dream to become “Big” and their reactions were something that have stayed with him to this day.

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Elssbiay stated, “My friends were sitting on a table… I remember, I said to them, ‘guys, I need to start to be a bodybuilder’.”  The athlete had his hopes high up, but back then, it mostly seemed like a distant dream to his peers. “I’m 26 years in this time,” he continued, “When I spoke to them everyone laughed.” Big Ramy’s friends were far from taking the athlete’s word seriously. “Are you crazy to start right now?” they exclaimed.

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“I said I need to give me a chance in this game,” Ramy explained his desire to venture into the pro-bodybuilding industry. He further elucidated how every person requires self-reflection. “Everyone have a gift from god but you have to find it in yourself. Maybe you never know, maybe you find it,” he said.

Big dreams had an abrupt ending

Ramy’s dreams were big. But the current scenario hints at the fact that perhaps they were a little short-lived. The bodybuilder’s immense admiration for the sport helped him to endure rigorous training and achieve the crown back in 2020. His title was secure in 2021 as well after a stellar performance. However, a defending champion dropping four places the next year is a very unusual occurrence. 

Whatever the cause, Big Ramy’s season in Mr. Olympia 2022 ended up being nothing short of a disaster. Following two straight Mr. Olympia titles, Big Ramy was duly deposed by Hadi Choopan at the conclusion of the 2022 competition. Fans are enquiring about political preferences in the decision-making process in addition to Ramy’s performance. On stage, he was seen struggling to perfect his poses. Speculators of the sport believe that this was perhaps due to previous injuries.

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Big Ramy did not fail himself. His struggles as an amateur bodybuilder paid off when he proved everyone who did not believe in him, wrong. As the bodybuilder promises to come back only stronger next year, fans globally have reached out to him to show their love and support.