Professional fitness athlete and bodybuilder Ali Bilal, runner-up at the Mr. Olympia Men’s Physique competition in both 2024 and 2025, has apologized to three-time Olympia champion Ryan Terry for comments he made in hopes of retiring the legend.
“I want to apologize to [Terry] for this, too,” Bilal said via BTSTV. “When I saw how much it had impacted him, I really felt that. I shouldn’t have done that, maybe. It can have a huge impact on other people. Not everyone is mentally as strong as you are. Even if you say the smallest thing, it can affect the other person in a very bad way and it can destroy them. I didn’t know it had that big of an impact on him.”
Ali Bilal’s original remarks ahead of 2025 Mr. Olympia sparked backlash from fans and members of the bodybuilding community alike, many of whom also see his apology as backhanded despite expressing regret for the impact on Terry. Although Bilal acknowledged the weight of his words, he simultaneously, on brand, found subtle ways to reinforce the competitive motivation behind his original statement.
“I would’ve just backed up at the top,” Bilal previously said of Terry, who had already won the prior two installments going into 2025. “Why would he get second this year? It would be a shame to get second this year. I would feel bad for him, to be honest, because it’s such a bad, bad way to get out of the sport — to be second and stop. He should’ve stopped last year.”
When the interviewer followed up, asking, “So, you think you’re going to be the one to retire Ryan Terry?” Bilal responded, “Oh, of course. 100%. I hope he will retire after he loses. He won’t come back.”
While Ali Bilal had already secured a major win and clear confidence boost, taking first place in the 2025 Arnold Classic Men’s Physique division, his comments about Terry ultimately fell flat in his pursuit of the top title. Bilal finished second yet again at 2025 Mr. Olympia, watching in disdain as Terry secured his third consecutive title and joined Jeremy Buendia as the only athletes to win three or more consecutive Men’s Physique Olympia top honors.
“We called it a legacy prep,” Terry shared, reacting to his 2025 Mr. Olympia Men’s Physique win. “That’s exactly what I thought this was and this is to me. Obviously, winning the first title was amazing. It was a justification of all those years. It was worth it. The second one was proving to the world the first one wasn’t a fluke and that I was worthy of winning that first title. This one was about cementing my legacy in the world of bodybuilding. I really feel like I’ve achieved that now, and I’m over the moon.”
2026 Arnold Classic & Mr. Olympia
The 2026 Arnold Classic is scheduled for March 5-8 in Columbus, Ohio. Prejudging and finals for all IFBB Pro divisions, including Men’s Physique, will take place over the weekend, with the main events on March 6–7. The Arnold Classic serves as an early-season benchmark for professional fitness athletes, allowing competitors to showcase improvements and measure themselves against the top Men’s Physique field.
2026 Mr. Olympia weekend returns to Las Vegas later in the year, Sept. 24-27, bringing together champions from all divisions, including Men’s Physique, to compete for the sport’s most prestigious title after a year of pro shows and qualification events.
*Featured images via Instagram @alihealth_1 / @beyondthestagetv_
