Legendary Bodybuilder Dies at 68

The bodybuilding world is in mourning following the death of a legendary figure. Anton Holic, a Czech bodybuilder passed away on April 7, 2021, at age 68. No cause of death is known.

According to Fitness Volt, Holic developed an interest in bodybuilding at a young age. He began training with minimal equipment in order to follow his dreams. He first competed at a Regional Championship in 1973, finishing third overall. He ultimately reached the IFBB World Amateur Championships and placed third during his first time.

Holic continued to find success as a bodybuilder. He won the European Amateur Championships three separate times — 1980, 1981, and 1983. He competed at the middleweight class all three times. Holic continued to compete at both the IFBB World Amateur Championships and the European Amateur Championships until 1987, the year that he took third.

“I worked in bodybuilding for 18 years, during which I won 3x gold at the IFBB European Championships and 2x bronze at the IFBB World Championships,” Holic said in a 2009 article, which was translated into English. “In the best years, at a height of 173 cm and a weight of just about 80 kg, I had a circumference of biceps of 50 cm, chest 137 cm, thigh 74 cm, and waist 76 cm. I was one of the founders of Fortuna Trnava, with whom we won the title of the most successful bodybuilding department in the whole of Czechoslovakia. And believe me … during those eighteen years, I raised (literally and literally) hundreds of tons of iron in the gym and went on literally devastating diets – only that was and still is the way to success in bodybuilding.”

Holic continued to describe his career as a bodybuilder, including the highs and lows that he experienced. He discussed multiple gold medals, as well as a “bureaucratic mistake” that almost made him miss a trip to Spain for a competition. He was ultimately able to make the journey, but the stress resulted in him losing weight and muscle density in a matter of days.

“The end of active activity came, a period when I resented bodybuilding and only in recent years did I return to what I loved so much,” Holic said at the time. “To dumbbells, to iron, and to pass on my knowledge to the younger ones. Today I train again 5 times a week and despite the fact that I am already 57 years old, I believe that my health will allow me and I will train for a long time.”