1999

Markus set his sights on the 1999 NOC and returned looking every inch the champion at 270 pounds of shredded prime beef. In a highly controversial decision, Ruhl was deemed an inexplicable fourth place while Paul Dillett, considerably off his best condition, was called out as the winner. New York fans don’t take such injustice without letting their dissatisfaction being known. Loud chants of ‘BULLSHIT!’ reverberated angrily inside the Beacon Theater as trash was hurled on stage. Head judge Steve Weinberger turned to face the mob, looking on the verge of violence himself in all the heated emotion. But there was one positive outcome for Markus – he had qualified for that year’s Mr. Olympia. Stoked at the chance to get on stage with the likes of Ronnie Coleman and Flex Wheeler, he managed to gain another ten pounds and came to Las Vegas at 275 earth-crushing pounds. But as is often the case for Olympia rookies, he didn’t get called out for comparisons until quite late in the prejudging. To make matters much worse, his urine tested positive for diuretics and he was disqualified. Still, encouraged by the experience of competing in his first Olympia, he went on to the British Grand Prix in Manchester and finished seventh in a show won by Ronnie.