Men’s Physique competitor Ryan Terry famously had an incredible 2023 when he won his first Olympia title on the eighth attempt but the British Bodybuilder has now revealed how qualifying at the New York Pro earlier that same year almost had him leaving it all on stage—in the most embarrassing of ways.
“Crazy to think I had severe food poisoning at this point on stage,” explained Terry in an Instagram post made on Sunday, July 21, 2024. “It came on the day before, and the 24 hours running into the show was definitely touch and go whether I was able to make the stage…”
Of course, the digestive system of a bodybuilder is always tested in the days and hours before an important competition, as each athlete attempts to get as shredded as possible for the judging process. Add to that the nervousness that each competitor feels, and the pressures to do well after putting their mind, body, and soul, into the process, and it’s understandable that these combatants feel the need to run to the commode from time to time. Terry, however, was also dealing with the very real issue of food poisoning on top of everything else, all while attempting to keep his Olympia dream alive.
Ryan Terry almost left it all on stage
“… backstage, I was cramping and trying not to go to the toilet as I knew the moment I went it would be game over,” recounted the RT-Fit gym owner. Fortunately, his ‘intestinal fortitude’ held out, and Terry, who has been competing since his teens, was able to keep it all together.
“I remember jumping off stage after the finals driving straight to CVS Pharmacy and bought loperamide (medication for diarrhea) electrolyte drinks and Pepto Bismol. Then spent the next 8 hours on the toilet with sickness and diarrhea,” said Terry, who went on to win the New York Pro in 2023 and then ‘followed through’ with a historic win in Orlando to become Mr. Men’s Physique at Olympia. Wardrobe malfunctions are one thing, but stomach malfunctions are something else entirely!