Dennis James just phoned us with the news he is out of this year’s Mr. Olympia.
The Menace was struck by a bout of double pneumonia that that curtailed gymaction and thus possible Olympia action.
The trouble started on July 10 when James was flying from Madrid to Frankfurt. He felt weak and unwell before the flight and as the plane took off he was laboring for breath. For the duration of the 2 1/2 hour flight he was left sucking on an oxygen mask. “I felt like I was going to pass out”, James recalled. Once the plane landed he was rushed to a local Frankfurt hospital where he was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs – our boy’s nothing if he’s not symmetrical.
Released on July 20, his doctors have advised him not to train or exert himself for two to three weeks. Ruminating on his circumstances Dennis says, “With the enforced lay-off I’ve lost about five weeks of prep, and won’t have enough time to prepare properly for the Olympia. I spoke to Peter McGough (FLEX and M&F head honcho) and Robin Chang (Olympia promoter) and they both told me my health was the number one priority and not to worry about the Olympia. Right now I’m very disappointed to miss what would have been my eighth straight Olympia, but I’ll be back better than ever at next March’s Arnold Classic.”
