No other bodybuilder has ever received Arnold Schwarzenegger’s prestigious honor. The Arnold Classic competition, a prominent bodybuilding event, is named after him.
Jim Lorimer, who co-founded the event and was a personal friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, died recently.
As a special tribute, the legendary bodybuilder posted an emotional statement on social media for his late friend, to which his fellow athletes responded in the comments.
Celebrities and well-known bodybuilders react to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s heartfelt post.
Lorimer died on November 24th, 2022, at the age of 96. In addition to co-founding and organizing the Arnold Classic competition, Jim Lorimer worked as an FBI agent, mayor, and national track coach.
Lorimer and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mission was to popularize bodybuilding. To make it happen, the two founded the Arnold Classic event in 1989, which grew to become the world’s second most prestigious bodybuilding competition.
Schwarzenegger, a longstanding friend, was remembered on Instagram with the words, “I am devastated that I won’t be able to sit with him again and hear his wisdom, or analyze bodybuilders with him, or simply laugh and laugh.”
Both Lorimer and Schwarzenegger are considered bodybuilding pioneers. During that time, Schwarzenegger was one of President George H. W. Bush’s most influential advisors.
As chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the bodybuilder recalled how his great buddy Lorimer had assisted him in making the right decisions.
Many other bodybuilders and celebrities expressed their condolences in the comments section of Schwarzenegger’s article.
Several well-known bodybuilders, including Jay Cutler, written:
“Tragic news. RIP I’m very glad I met him at the competition. “Jim, rest in peace.”
“That tribute is felt all the way through the heart and soul, all the way to the bones. Such a powerful statement that is also very true. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. Jim, rest in peace…”
Others have written:
“Life is a fantastic journey! It goes by quickly! Let us cherish and thrill our loved ones right now.”
“I’m sorry for your loss…”
In his post, Schwarzenegger also expressed his sympathies and best wishes to the Lorimer family.
The friendship of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Lorimer
Lorimer and Schwarzenegger’s friendship began in 1970, when Lorimer invited a young Schwarzenegger to an event in Columbus, Ohio.
Soon after, the two became close friends and formed an unofficial pact to make bodybuilding a popular sport in the United States. In 1989, Schwarzenegger and Lorimer founded the Arnold Classic, which has since become one of the most well-known sporting events.
Lorimer is credited by Schwarzenegger and many other athletes for the success of bodybuilding and other sports in Columbus and elsewhere. His ambition and enthusiasm for athletics enabled him to achieve great things in life.
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