Ryan Terry has spent years chasing one number, and in Las Vegas he finally matched it. The man who set it was never far from the story. Now Terry is sharing how Jeremy Buendia responded when it happened. 

Terry won the 2026 Men's Physique Olympia in Las Vegas, his fourth straight title, and took home $50,000. The result tied him with Jeremy Buendia, who won the division in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 and had held the record alone until now.

While in the press conference after the competition, Ryan Terry revealed that Buendia was the first person to congratulate him on his achievement. 

"Jeremy was fantastic, and massive, massive respect to Jeremy," Terry said as reported by RxMuscle on Instagram. "That must have been a hard night for him to watch, although he was obviously very happy for me too; he didn't hesitate, and he made that very clear on social media."

For Terry, the significance of the moment went beyond matching a record, with the reaction from a fellow champion making it even more meaningful. 

"For me to match his record, and he’s held that since his early days, it must have been a hard night, and he took it so well. He was the first to congratulate me, and he genuinely meant it, so that meant a lot to me as well. What a fantastic champion he is."

For now, Terry and Buendia stand level at four titles each. The next chapter is easy to imagine: a fifth Olympia crown next year would break the tie and leave Terry as the division's sole record holder. 

Ryan Terry won a fourth Olympia title despite  a serious neck injury 

Ryan Terry left Las Vegas as a record-tying champion, but his road to the stage was far rougher than it looked. A problem in his neck nearly put his 2026 Olympia appearance at risk. 

After the show, Terry opened up to Tony Doherty of NPC News Online about what went wrong during his build-up. 

"I don’t want to get the violin out and say, ‘Oh, this was our prep because of this, this, and this,'" Terry said, as reported by Fitness Volt. "But yeah, like seven weeks ago, I herniated my C5 disc in my neck."

 The injury left a nerve trapped and turned the weeks that followed into a daily fight. Terry filled his days with treatment, from acupuncture and chiropractic sessions to ice baths, saunas, and deep-tissue work, all aimed at getting him fit enough to compete. 

The ordeal showed him how tough he could be. He said it reinforced how badly he wanted the title and that quitting was never on the table. 

That determination paid off. Terry captured a fourth straight Men's Physique crown, matching Jeremy Buendia's record. It would be impressive on any night, but after weeks of managing an injury, it carries extra weight. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco