Shawn Rhoden Announces He Won’t Compete At The Arnold Classic 2018 Due To Illness

The 2016 Mr. Olympia silver medal winner required 6 blood transfusions to bring his body back to normal levels after being admitted to intensive care unit in hospital. 

The line-up for the Arnold Classic 2018 has unfortunately taken a hit after Shawn Rhoden has announced he is unable to compete in the up-coming show.

It’s a shame, because this Arnold Classic is set to be a fiercely-contested competition, with former champions, Cedric McMillan, Dexter Jackson and Dennis Wolf all-set to battle for the trophy.

6 blood transfusions due to ulcers bleeding into intestines

In case you’re wondering, Shawn Rhoden hasn’t pulled-out unnecessarily.

He announced the news after being admitted to the intensive care unit in hospital; he was given 6 blood transfusions after doctors found he had 2 ulcers bleeding into his intestines.

On his Instagram post, Shawn Rhoden said:

“This first picture here was a couple weeks ago when I was five weeks out from the Arnold Classic 2018. I was feeling great! Unfortunately, I came home to Santa Barbara to visit my family and I started throwing up for two days.

“Since I don’t normally complain my coach, Chris Aceto, recommended that I go to the hospital thinking that I may be overly dehydrated. I ended up being rushed by ambulance from one hospital to another that had better facilities to care for me. I was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

“Not only did I have the horrible flu going around but my hemoglobin level was at 4 (should be around 14). I lost A LOT of blood due to two ulcers bleeding into my intestine over a period of time. I was given 6 blood transfusions that brought my body back to levels where my body could reproduce enough blood on its own to normal levels.

IG: @flexatronrhoden

Shawn Rhoden will still compete at the 2018 Mr. Olympia

The news will be a big shock to fans of the ‘Flexatron’ and other contestants who would have hoped to compete against Shawn.

However, the good news is that 2nd place 2016 Mr. Olympia athlete is on the road-to-recovery and is still aiming to bring his best condition to the 2018 Olympia show.

In the same Instagram post, Shawn continued:

“Since it is so close to the Arnold, I am disappointed that I must announce that I will not be competing in this years Arnold Classic 2018. I am thankful that I am feeling better!! And I am thankful for all of the support from my family, friends and IFBB Pro League. I am back to training hard and pushing myself to bring my BEST to the Olympia 2018!

“I will still be at the Arnold Classic 2018 to cheer on my fellow athletes and to chat with all the fans! I am looking forward to visiting with fans when I’m not on “diet brain!” Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.”

Source : spotmebro.com